


The Creation Of Adam

by Natsue_Yotsuki



Category: Good Omens (TV), Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Cesarean Section, Childbirth, Crowley is Good With Kids (Good Omens), Discorporation (Good Omens), Established Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens), F/M, Female Crowley (Good Omens), Forced Pregnancy, Hurt Crowley (Good Omens), Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Long Live Feedback Comment Project, M/M, Male Crowley (Good Omens), Pregnancy, Pregnant Crowley (Good Omens)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2020-02-19
Packaged: 2021-01-13 11:41:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 8
Words: 23,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21243506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Natsue_Yotsuki/pseuds/Natsue_Yotsuki
Summary: While having a pool party, the Them are musing why Adam is having a belly button. They shrug it off as a disguise, but Aziraphale starts thinking and asks questions.Questions, Crowley would rather leave unansweredorCrowley was more involved in Adams' parentage than Aziraphale assumed





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This idea struck some days ago and despite my intention of ending my current chapter of Smooth the way I needed to get this idea out of my head. So here we are.
> 
> Trigger warnings for:  
implied non-con (not explicit),  
temporary death/discorporation  
**improper Caesarean section**
> 
> Please heed the warnings and take care of yourself <3  
As I suffered through a C-section a few years ago, parts of this fic became more therapeutic than I intended them to be. I don't know if reading it might affect you the same way as writing it affected me, so again: please be careful!
> 
> I took some of the dialogue from the first scene with Hastur, Ligur and Crowley. All credit goes to Neil Gaiman and Sir Terry Pratchett and their wonderful book.
> 
> And last:  
I am no native speaker, therefore I'm sorry for peculiar sentences or expressions. I did my best to make my writing clear. If you find a minor or horrific faux pas, feel free to let me know.

Crowley shoved his glasses up his nose and grinned, as he stepped away from his Bentley. He lifted his head and watched the cloudless sky.

"What a wonderful weather, isn't it?" he smirked and turned around to Aziraphale.

"Well, my dear. It's a typical day for Tadfield, I would say..."

They grinned at each other. _Of course,_ the weather would be brilliant when Adam Young chose to hold a pool party.

They walked up to the door. Even before they could ring the bell, it was flung open and Crowley found himself in a tight embrace by the former Antichrist.

Trying not to step on Dog who was running in wild circles around them, the demon seized the kid and hugged him back.

"Hey there, that's quite a _damp_ greeting," he laughed and Adam smiled up at him. Hair and body still dripping wet. He probably jumped out of the pool as soon as he'd heard the motor of the Bentley. Or Queen blasting from the speakers.

"I haven't seen you in ages!" he complained and Crowley smiled fondly "I know, I know... But here we are!"

Aziraphale came up behind him and smiled broadly at Adam.

"Hello boy," he greeted and received a likewise tight hug (but probably less moist than Crowleys').

Crowley bent down to snatch Dog and started to whisper in a mixture of hissing, splattering and growling noises, no human pipes should be able to produce. The eyes of the not-so-hellish-hellhound glowed red and he seemed to answer.

Aziraphale shuddered and rubbed over his exposed arms

"Stop that," he chided "You know it makes my skin crawl when you speak like that..."

"Oh, Angel," Crowley exaggerated and started to pat Dogs head vigorously "I was merely asking if he was a gooo~_od_ boy. And yes, he is, aren't you? Yes, you are" he mocked and winked at Adam who snickered.

"Come in, mum made biscuits and lemonade."

After a brief and polite exchange with Mrs Young - mostly on Aziraphales part, as Crowley was dragged along by Adam - ("Yes, the weather in London is horrible right now", "No, I'm glad you found the time to visit. Adam is always so delighted by your company" "Oh no, we're fine! Don't put yourself to some bother for us") they changed into their swimsuits.

Crowley snorted when he saw Aziraphale exiting the bathroom.

" Really, Angel?", he lifted an eyebrow and peered over the rim of his glasses, "I think this kind of drawer went out of style one hundred years ago."

Aziraphale stroked down his brown and white striped bathing suit "Classics never go out of style, thank you very much" he held his head high and nodded confidently. "And besides, I won't come into a _situation _by not having a navel," he said pointedly and gestured towards Crowleys smooth stomach.

"Meh," Crowley shrugged "the kids know I'm not human and Mrs Young will assume it's a health condition and is probably too British to ask."

Aziraphale tipped his head. The demon had a point.

"So, off we are?"

They joined the kids in the garden and were fiercely welcomed by the rest of the Them.

Crowley was more than content to provide some miracles to enhance the fun of a pool party and joined the children in the water.

Aziraphale adapted to the task of acting as a lifeguard and sat on the edge of the pool. Someone _had_ to be the responsible adult. And he had to keep an eye out for Deidre Young. It would be hard to explain, why their small garden pool was suddenly 40 metres deep, full of sealife and contained a sunken pirate ship.

He looked down through the clear water and watched their play. Crowley had provided them with gills and had turned himself into a giant water snake, hiding in the depths of the shipwreck.

After they defeated the _gruesome monster_ he changed back, resurfaced and sat next to Aziraphale, wringing out his hair.

"You're sloshing, my dear" Aziraphale scolded without malice.

Crowley shrugged and continued to shake the water out of his hair. He grinned happily, laid back and took in the sun.

Soon the kids surfaced again and climbed out of the pool. They grabbed their drinks and giggled among themselves.

"Crowley?" Adam approached them and settled on the edge, next to Crowley.

"Hmm?" the Demon answered, feet splashing lazily in the water.

"You don't have a belly button" he stated and Crowley opened one eye, to catch Aziraphales look of told-you-so

"Yeah...?" Crowley drawled and ignored the Angel "Comes with the whole _created from dust_ package..." he shrugged it off.

"Aha..." Adam started fidgeting and Crowley sat up

"What _aha_? What is on your mind, Adam, spit it!" he prompted.

Adam took interest in a little yellow fish swimming curious around his toes.

Crowley crossed his arms "So?"

"Then- Uhm, well- Why do _I _have one?"

"Oh!" Aziraphale turned around "An excellent question!"

They looked at Crowley expectingly. He shoved his glassed up.

"Ehrm... you... I think it's because you needed to fit in? A disguise, I guess...?" he more asked than answered.

"ah," Adam replied and looked at him as if he wanted to say more.

"Yeah," Crowley replied. He stood up and walked to the small table to grab his glass.

Adam followed him "Sometimes I dream, you know?" he mumbled, "I assumed, there was someone else beside Lucifer... I think I see-" he trailed off and watched Crowley intently.

"Don't go there, boy." Crowley cut in "Whatever you're _dreaming_, and I think, that's what they are, _dreams_, it's unlikely you remember anything from hell. You'd better not, it's a terrible place." Crowley gripped his glass tight and his eyes darted back and forth from Aziraphale, the Them, the shipwreck and anywhere but at Adams face. "I delivered you upon this earth, as soon as you sprung to existence. There _is_ nothing to be remembered."

"Hm." Adams scrutinizing gaze left Crowley. "I thought I remembered you..." he whispered and Crowley looked again at him. This mere boy, claiming he had memories of Hell broke his heart.

He took him in his arms "I'm sorry."

They were interrupted by Pepper, Brian and Wensleydale storming Aziraphale.

"Can you turn me into a shark?" Pepper asked.

"I want to be a merman!" Brian chimed in.

"I want to be an octopus, please! They're clever and skilful and-" Wensleydale started to explain.

Aziraphale held up his hands and stopped the kids from talking.

"Crowley, a little help here?"

Crowley smiled down on Adam "What shall I turn _you_ into?"

Adam copied his smile, "A giant water snake," he answered without hesitation. Crowley ruffled his hair.

When the kids were turned, they dived under and started their complicated play.

The entities settled at the table. Crowley stretched out in the sun and Aziraphale sought shelter under the sunshades.

"I never thought about it, to be honest..." Aziraphale conceded and took one of Mrs Youngs' biscuits.

"I assumed an immaculate conception as Mary had."

Crowley shook his head "No, angel. That was the _ divine _ way of handling things. Hell was much more-" he hesitated for a moment " _ hands-on _..." He nestled with the elbow of his straw.

"So what did He do? Did He carve him from His rib?"

Crowley shook his head and nodded in the vicinity of the children "Adam... He-" Crowley hesitated, unsure whether or not to open up this can of worms "He _ has _ a mother..."

"Oh, dear. So some poor human was forced to intercourse with Satan?" Aziraphale asked horrified.

"Angel, you know as well as I do, that no human is able to survive the touch of Lucifer. And He Himself is too big and powerful to be contained in a corporation."

"And therefore...?"

"It's a Demon. His mother, I mean..."

Aziraphale nodded slowly and contemplated this new information.

They looked down at the makeshift ocean. Snake-Adam was giving his best to reenact Crowleys performance as a giant sea monster.

"But aren't Demons just as incapable of conceiving a child as Angels are?" Aziraphale wondered, clearly stunned.

Crowley hummed, hoping the angel would drop the subject.

"So how had it been done?" Aziraphale inquired after a while.

Crowley sighed "With a potion, massive spellwork and a, erm, _ receptive _ body..."

* * *

_Crowley had no idea why she was summoned to the graveyard. When she arrived, Hastur and Ligur greeted her and recited their deeds. Inwardly she rolled her eyes. _Stupid old fashioned demons. _When they were done, they handed her a flask with a greenish liquid. _

_She looked at it suspiciously "Is this...?"_

_Hastur nodded "This is! Times are changing soon"_

_"And, er, it's up to me to-?"_

_"Yes, you are obviously highly favoured" Hastur provided with a malicious grin. _

_Crowley swallowed "What am I supposed to do?" _

_"You'll receive instructions. This is the big one, Crowley. Don't mess it up!"_

* * *

"A receptive body, you say?" Aziraphale got curious "Who was it then? I could imagine it would have been considered to be an honour. Was it Beelzebub, as they are the Prince of Hell? Or one of the Dukes?" he tried to catch Crowleys eyes behind his glasses, waiting for some hellish gossip.

"There's nothing honourable about being ravished by Satan Himself" Crowley snapped angrily.

"Oh..."

* * *

_"How thoughtful of you," He caress_ _ed Crowleys cheek with the back of his hand. A burning sensation lingered where he'd touched her. He drew His nails down to cup her breasts "you already provided the necessary parts, didn't you?" _

_He pressed and the demon suppressed a painful whimper._

_Crowley tried to follow Satans musings but whatever the Hell this potion had been, it was messing heavily with her head. And Lucifers hands on her body didn't help to focus, either. The fiery rage running through Him left aching trails in the wake of his touch._

_"You know, you were always my favourite. Even _ then_. We are very much alike, you and I, my Crowley..."_

_Crowley tried to ignore the stench of this monster above her. Her head felt dizzy, what was He talking about? _

_He lowered His head and whispered almost lovingly in her ear_

_"You and I, we were only asking questions. We were seeking wisdom from _ Her," _with a _ crack _ He slammed His fists down next to her head, close to her exposed wings, "BUT SHE CAST US OUT." _

_Crowley set her eyes on His talons, so dangerously close. A small voice in the back of her head wondered, why she wasn't scared. She dismissed the thought._

_He stroked down her waist and grabbed her hips. Her skin started to sizzle under His prolonged touch and she let out a painful moan. Stars began to dance in front of her eyes._

_"But we will be avenged, Crowley. Our child will bring Her down along with Her righteous angels!" he spat out, grinned and showed long rows of sharp and pointy teeth._

_"hmm...?" she nodded weakly as she wasn't following His words any more. _ What child? _ It didn't matter, did it? _

_Lucifer let go of her and pushed Himself up. He sheltered her under His leathery wings. _

_Chains magically wrapped themselves around her wrists and ankles but it was of no concern to her. She was fastened to the floor. Slowly, she met His dark glowing eyes and in an almost caressing gesture, He stroked her hair. She cried out in pain. The smell of burnt flesh and hair filled the room._

_"I know, it won't be easy for you... But you are strong" he picked up one of the chains and tested it "and these will help you to stay." Satan bent down to whisper in her ear "But you wouldn't betray me, would you?"_

_She shook her head in a trance_

_"That's my girl..." he said and patted her thigh. "So, shall we begin?"_

* * *

"Oh." Aziraphale repeated, "My apologies, I wasn't thinking.

"No, you were not," Crowley confirmed sternly.

They lingered on their own thoughts a little while. Crowleys' distinctly darker than Aziraphales'.

* * *

_Crowley lost consciousness halfway through the act._

_When she woke up, her body was on fire, where Lucifer had touched her. _

_Her wings, her breasts, her thighs. Tears were running down her cheeks._

_Her arms, her hips, her- she didn't want to think about it._

_A burning part of Him had _stayed inside_ and was merging with her. _

_"Oh, you're awake!" Lucifer mentioned and walked over, "You did well, Crowley." He laid His hand on her stomach and she tried to squirm away _

_"Can you feel it? The body of my son is developing already." _

_The burning heat of His touch threatened to send her back into unconsciousness. She groaned and He withdrew His hand._

_"There is one more thing for you to do, Crowley... My son needs a soul" He declared soberly._

_Crowley stared up at him. What was he implying? The only one able to create souls was God Herself._

_She thrashed around the chains as Lucifer wrapped his claws around her soul. _

_"You will donate a part of yourself for him"_

_Crowley shivered violently and started to beg "No, no, please not, nononono-" she abruptly stopped. With a yank, He exposed her essence to Him. Coils and Eyes, wings and flames._

_He hummed appreciating "You are different, you know? You always were..." He traced her soul, searching for something "Here, this will do" Lucifer grabbed tightly, pulled tentatively and then ripped her apart._

_Her scream pierced through the nine circles of Hell and sent shivers down the spines of those who heard it._

* * *

"Did you know the chosen Demon?" Aziraphale asked softly and saw Crowley stiffen up. So he _did_ know Adams biological mother. And it seemed to be a sore point.

He never knew if Crowley had acquaintances in Hell, as he'd always assumed he was equally alone in Hell, as he'd been in Heaven.

Aziraphale wondered what might have happened to the demon who'd been chosen to carry Lucifers child.

* * *

_The weeks dragged by and Crowley slipped in and out of consciousness. The swell under her ribs had grown and everything _ hurt_. Just as Lucifers touches had burnt her skin on the outside, the presence of his spawn burnt her from the inside. She expected to feel the movement of His baby soon. And she feared this moment. _

It_ was already feasting on her body. Not before long and she could slip her wrists out of the shackles with ease. What would become of her, when it needed more energy? Would it consume her until nothing was left any more? Would she discorporate or cease to exist completely?_

_The first time the baby kicked, she passed out._

_With time, she_ _adjusted to the pain raging through her mutilated body and over her garbled soul. _

_Whenever she felt the baby move she wondered, if it had horns like Lucifer himself and if one day it would cut her open._

_One day it moved particularly viciously against her and in a desperate attempt she laid her hands on her stomach and prayed silently "Please don't hurt me". To her astonishment, the baby stilled._

_It seemed to wait._

_Crowley hesitated. Thus far she never tried to contact the baby. Tentatively she drew her hands over her belly, where she could feel the child. The baby started to move again but this time equally careful as Crowley. She could feel it shifting. It almost felt like it changed its form. Was this possible? She thought she felt it twist like a snake. _

_"Are you like me?" she whispered in awe and opened her mind. Slowly she reached out to the child. She felt _ her _ soul in him. He reached back and for the first time in months, Crowley smiled._

_Shortly after, she started talking to him._

* * *

"So... you knew all along that Hell was breeding the Antichrist?" Aziraphale inquired but missed Crowleys uncomfortable shudder.

"Where have you been, this whole time? You could have warned me."

He tried to take a glimpse of Crowleys eyes behind his dark glasses. "You vanished all of sudden, then you called and said you delivered him. How long was it? A year? No - wait - this doesn't seem to be right..."

"Approximately ten months" Crowley provided through gritted teeth and gripped the tablecloth tightly.

"Yes, approximately ten months - wait - approximately_ ten months" _he repeated and his eyes widened. "Ten months!"

Crowley could see the little cogs in his head turn, twist and suddenly fit together.

"Crowley..." Aziraphale wrung with the right choice of words "did you not only deliver the Antichrist but, in fact, _delivered_ the Antichrist?" He stared at Crowley who tried to shirk away from his look.

* * *

_Crowleys constitution improved significantly after she started bonding with the child. She told him of the world and the wonders of humanity. Told her story from Eden to London and from Heaven to Hell. She embraced the little soul inside of her, cradled it close to her heart and in return, he stopped devouring and burning her. More and more, he resembled her and not his Father._

_And he grew._

* * *

_When she went into labour, none of the Demons assigned as substitutes for midwives knew what to do. Wave after wave washed over her, as contractions threatened to rip her apart. _

_She screamed._

_Begged._

_Prayed even._

_But to no avail. _

_She lost track of time as blood spilt from reopened wounds._

_"Master, we don't think, she'll be able to give birth" one of them confessed. Lucifer growled deeply and with a slap of his hand the Demon disintegrated on the spot._

_"Why Not?" He demanded from the other Demons who exchanged nervous glances._

_"It might be because of the scars, Master", they pointed out._

_"They are probably on the inside, too" the other one added, "We think, she's on the edge of discorporation. And-, ehr-, well-, um-" he paused, "we don't know what will happen to the child by then..."_

_Lucifer pushed them aside and stood over Crowley, taking in her convulsing body and glazed-over eyes. He grabbed her chin and forced her to look at Him. _

_"Are they right? Are you failing me, Crowley?" He gnarled. Crowley barely reacted, too drowned in pain and fear._

_He pushed her head back on the floor._

_"Assign her a new corporation and cut her open!" He ordered and sat back to watch._

_Crowley cried out as another contraction took hold of her body. When it subsided she tried to recall what humans were told to do. Breathing? That was it, wasn't it? She hardly breathed at all, so this was clearly not helpful. What else? _

_The next contraction hit her without a break. As it ebbed away, she wondered. What was she supposed to do? Breathing? No, this would not work for her... _

_The next one approached. Breathing? No, didn't feel right..._

_And again. _

_And again and againandagain._

_She wasn't even aware of her mind running in circles._

_The shackles around her wrists and ankles tightened and the chains pressed her further to the ground. Someone touched her head, stopping her body halfway through the next contraction. She slumped back and found her head had cleared up a bit. She took in her surroundings._

_One of the 'midwives' sat next to her and pressed their fingers at her soaked temple. She couldn't see the others. Someone mumbled an incantation. _

_And Lucifer sat nearby and watched her closely._

_"Do it!" He commanded. _ What? What are you doing? _She wanted to ask when she felt _ it _. A sharp pain rushed through her lower abdomen, followed by an ugly splitting sensation. _

"Nononono, please, nonono-" she_ begged them to stop before she fell into inarticulated screaming. _

_She felt him wrenching inside of her. He pulled and sliced and pushed- _

_Her screams stopped abruptly. _

_Detached she surveyed what happened to her. She was calm as the demon between her legs pushed into her once more. Felt him rooting for her baby. Saw Lucifer observing her with dark eyes. The demon at her head nodded shortly, moved away and leaned on her stomach._

_The calm and isolated island of her mind was swamped with agony and she snapped back. She resumed screaming._

_Another yank and the demons let go off her at once. _

_Through her own anguish, she saw a glimpse of black and blood-red scales squirming in the arms of the other demon. _

Don't show Him you're different don't show you're different don't show you're different don't show don't show don't show don't don't don't don't...

_She saw her newborn shift from black scales to red skin. Lucifer looked him over and started a maniacal laughter. _

_She reached out to them "Please..." They turned around_

_"Give him to her..." Lucifer patronized and she was handed the infant. Her pain vanished in an instant._

_"Hey little one" she cooed wearily and caressed his head. He felt the same as she was used to by now. Stroking down his cheek she whispered "Please be good... I'll find you, I promise" and hugged him tightly._

_Darkness started to swallow her up "I'm sorry, my little one..." she mumbled before she discorporated._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The wonderful RangerHorseTug wrote an accompanying AU story starting from this point. It's sweet and lovely and angsty and has Crowley interacting with Adam and Warlock likewise and is overall really heartwarming 💚 you should check it out!  
[How To Be An Emotional Support Snek (TM) by RangerHorseTug](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22025986)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you very much, for your Kudos, comments and subscriptions!  
I'm really excited about each and every notification I get
> 
> So here's the new chapter, I hope you're going to enjoy it

Crowley murmured something behind his glass of lemonade and took great interest in a spot on the upholstery.

"Oh my..." Aziraphale gasped "that's why..."

Suddenly, all fell in place. Why Crowley had been so eager to become Warlock's nanny rather than the gardener; why he'd begged Aziraphale to leave the planet - even the solar system - instead of facing down the Antichrist and why he'd bonded so easily with Warlock and later on with Adam.

"Yeah, Angel, _ that's why! _" Crowley said nastily as if he'd been reading the Angels' line of thought. He stood up to leave but the angel grasped his hand and hindered him from fleeing.

"Crowley dear, I am truly sorry! I did not know! I assumed you brought him upon earth, nothing more." he clasped his free hand over his mouth "Oh God, I suggested you should _ kill _ him" he said in a flat voice.

Crowley shook off his hand.

* * *

_ The blissful ignorance which followed a discorporation didn't last. Crowleys essence was grabbed and shoved down into another corporation shortly after he left his previous one. _

_ He found himself in Lucifers throne room a few days after he left it. Nothing remained of the terrors that happened here but everything reminded him of them. _

_Lucifer smiled broadly and showed his fangs._

_"You did well, Crowley" he rumbled in his deep voice "The spells are almost ingrained in the boy and he will pass as human soon. It's up to you to deliver him to Saint Beryl."_

_Crowleys heart hammered in his chest. _

_He would see his boy again. _

_Lucifer squinted at him calculatingly. _

_"You will keep an eye on him, won't you? My boy will replace the son of Thaddeus and Harriet Dowling. You will join their staff and oversee his upbringing. You will not let me down, Crowley, you hear?"_

_Crowley shook his head and bowed "No, Master" he mumbled._

_"Good..." Lucifer growled, "Then resume your post on earth and wait for further instructions."_

* * *

_Crowley devised a plan. _

_As soon as they handed him his boy, he would go to Aziraphale, fill him in and off they were to Alpha Centauri. They would have plenty of time to hide and secure themselves before anyone downstairs would realise they bunked off. _

* * *

"Angel, don't." Crowley took an uncertain step back as Aziraphale raised from the chair. Memories swirled in his head, tumbled over each other and resurfaced with obnoxious clarity.

In a sudden hurry, he turned around.

Wasn't the ground trembling?

His eyes searched frantically over the grass for any disturbances in the soil.

Something coiled around his chest and squeezed hard.

_He_ was coming, wasn't _He_?

_He _was coming to drag him and Adam back to Hell.

Crowleys heartbeat accelerated. He grabbed the table with trembling hands to steady himself.

The pressure on his chest increased and he grasped hecticly at his torso, trying to push away the invisible _thing_ coiling around his heart.

Having lost the grip on the table, he fell to his knees

_He_ would drag him down. He was going to lose them all.

Crowley felt his heart constricting. His ears were ringing. He was about to discorporate and Hell would never let him leave again.

Tears fell down his face and he trembled violently. They had been naive to assume they were safe. _He_ would drag him down would never let them go, not after he and Adam defied Him at the end of the world. He would punish them _both_ and Crowley had to protect his boy at all costs.

Lucifer must not lay a claw on him.

Aziraphale took a cautious step around the table and crouched carefully down next to Crowley. He didn't want to startle him.

"My Dear, please listen to me..." he hummed and held out his hand, unsure, what to do.

Crowley's long fingers were entangled in his long hair and he pulled painfully. His glasses slipped from his face and landed next to his knees.

Aziraphales fingertips brushed against bare shoulders and Crowleys head shot up.

He stared at him with unseeing eyes, full golden and far away.

And in the blink of an eye, he snapped his fingers and vanished.

"Oh my..." Aziraphale uttered.

How had he missed this for all those years?

* * *

_As he was out of sight from Hastur and Ligur he pulled over. The hole in his soul ached for his son. _

_He grabbed the basket - a disgusting way to move a child - from the back-seat, opened it and his resolution crumbled._

_This child wasn't _ his _. _

_The baby appeared utterly human. And not only on the surface._

_He lifted it up and wrapped it in his arms. He whispered to him, as he'd done when they were so close together. _

_Once, when their souls were entangled. _

_He opened his mind, tried to find the piece to accompany his distorted soul but found nothing similar._

_He remembered then. _

_Frequently, Satan would sit down next to her and talk to His child - never to her. He would fantasise about the time to come. And with nothing to focus on besides her pain, she'd listened. _

_He mused about slaughtering angels, while she lay shivering on the floor. He contemplated his takeover of Heaven as the baby consumed her from the inside. And he talked about their child. About his powers of destruction and the misery he would rain down on the human race. How unaware they would be. How he was going to fit perfectly in, surrounded by an impenetrable spell to stay hidden from Angels and Demons alike._

_Crowley slumped down to the ground, feeling the aching emptiness growing. _

_The frayed edges of his soul were mangled a bit more. _

_The child wailed. _

_Crowley cradled him close to his heart, whispering breathless, trying to soothe him. _

_Together they sat in the darkness and cried bitterly._

_Lucifer must have _ known _. He had assigned him on purpose and this was his punishment. For what exactly - Crowley wasn't sure. He assumed it was because he had bonded with the child and influenced it away from Lucifer._

_So now, Lucifer had stolen him back. _

_The baby was still screaming and the sound tore at Crowley, made him restless and desperate._

_Without thinking, he offered his pinky and the baby started sucking._

_"You're hungry, hm?" he asked in a hushed tone, pushing his own misery forcefully away. With a flick of his wrist and a snap, he procured a bottle. He tapped against the glass and it filled itself. _

_"What are we going to do, hm?" he mumbled defeated as the infant drank._

_After a while, the boy - satiated and content in Crowleys arms - had fallen asleep. _

_Crowley saw over him. He didn't even resemble Crowley's late corporation. Thankfully he didn't resemble Lucifer either._

_His human form was not yet defined and appeared to change constantly. Each time Crowley closed his eyes, he might have held another baby._

_His hair changed colours from black to red (though _ never _ as fiery as Crowleys) to blond and all shades between. The same with his skin, nose and eyes. He switched between every variety of the human race. _

_His definite appearance would probably look like his human parents imagined their child._

_Crowley had born the perfect baby - and it wasn't his any more._

_The prospect of looking out over the painfully _ human _ boy sent cold shivers up and down his spine. It felt like _ his _ boy was dead, exchanged for this unfamiliar child._

_He laid him back into the basket and wrapped him up in the sheets. _

_Closed the door and propped his elbows on the roof of the car, to hide his face behind trembling hands. _

_Some part of him wanted to run away. Wanted to forget. (Wanted to open the thermos Aziraphale had provided all those years ago)_

_"You're not my boy any more," he whispered into the night "I begged you not to show Him how different you are and now-"_

_He cried again and another part of his soul shattered._

_Crowley could not muster the strength to leave the planet any more. He was sure it would destroy him if his boy would never return to him._

* * *

"Hey, where is Adam?" Shark-Pepper asked from the edge of the pool.

_Oh no..._ Aziraphale sighed. So Crowley had taken him away in his headless and panicked escape.

Aziraphale turned around slowly and picked his words carefully.

"Crowley and he need to talk..." he lied with ease and didn't like it. He was supposed to be the good and honest one.

"And I'm afraid I have to leave too"

If a shark could look disappointed, Pepper did.

"Oh no, please, only a tad longer", she begged and tried to smile with rows of sharp teeth. it was more intimidating than endearing and Aziraphale grimaced.

"I'm sorry, my dear. Will you please fetch the boys? I'll transform you back."

As Pepper submerged, Aziraphale stared at the spot where Crowley had vanished. He picked up the glasses and folded them neatly together. With a quick gesture from his chest to his hips, he changed from his bathing suit into his regular summer clothes. He slid the glasses in the pocket of his shirt.

When the children ascended from the deep waters he lifted the bottom up and it swallowed the ship. Little colourful swarms of fishes tried to escape but were caught up and became patterns on the tiles at the bottom of the pool.

While the kids breached the water surface and climbed from the pool, their miracled forms slid off of them and dissipated in the once again regular chlorine water.

Aziraphale handed them towels and bid his goodbyes.

He excused himself and Crowley from Mrs Young ("Yes, unfortunately, Crowley doesn't feel well right now." "no, he will be fine, some days of rest will do him wonders") and with the help of a miracle, she wouldn't question his excuses or the whereabouts of her son.

Walking up to the Bentley, Aziraphale willed their belongings from the Youngs' household unto the back-seat. He laid his hands on the heated roof of the car, closed his eyes and sent it to London, neatly tucked away in its regular parking spot.

* * *

_ "I understand you need a nanny?" _

_ She was hired on the spot. _

_Nanny Ashtoreth pushed the pram through the garden, searching for Aziraphale. He had to be here somewhere... _

_They had not seen each other since they put on their pseudonyms and joined the Dowling's staff, it was about time, to introduce him to the Antichrist. She found him kneeling in the soil, pretending to know what he was doing._

_He looked up and smiled at her through crooked teeth._

_"Hello love!" he greeted and stood up, wiping his hands on an apron._

_"Uhn... Angel, you look horrible" she complained, waving her hand at his tousled sideburns._

_"It's Brother Francis now. You, however, look really lovely, my dear- ah-" he lifted his chin in question and raised his eyebrows._

_"Lillith Ashtoreth," she provided, as the Angel eyed her up and down._

_She shifted uncomfortably under his gaze and hid behind her glasses and an angry snarl._

_"Seen enough?" _

_He tilted his head and looked at her expectantly. She knew, what he was up to. Heard his unspoken question in her head._

'What happened? Why the change of style, my dear?'

_She busied herself by smoothing out her skirt self-consciously and checked up on sleeping Warlock._

_"Nannies aren't allowed to be sexy..." she lied with practice._

_ Crowley had put on his alias as Nanny Ashtoreth with great reluctance. _ _ He would have preferred to keep presenting as male but Thaddeus Dowling was known as being too conservative to tolerate anything besides a traditional, feminine nanny. So Crowley altered his corporation towards female, barring the Effort. He couldn't bring himself to make it - she barely stood her reflection in the mirror. She changed her normally very-tight-fitted outfits towards something less revealing. Long skirts, loosely fitted blouses and wide jackets. She'd even trimmed her beloved fiery red hair to the minimum length required not to appear butch to Mr Dowling. _

_She was utterly terrified by the mere thought of giving anyone _any _sort_ _of ideas. _

_And more than willing to change back to male as soon as she left the Dowlings compound._

_"Hm," Aziraphale stated unconvinced but let it slide. She would talk when she was ready. It was always like this._

_ He didn't know that every rustling noise made her nervous, everyone passing by slightly _ too close _ made her jump. _

_ It was worse each time she had to report back to Hell. _

_ To her immense relief, she mostly had to talk to Beelzebub and not Lucifer himself. She wouldn't bear his presence without turning into a nervous mess. _

_ She didn't know what Hell would do if they ever found out she was lying through her teeth about the ' _horrible, yeah, atrocious, devilish infant', 'terrorising all with his wailing and tantrums'.

_ She knew every mother of a newborn would occasionally claim to have the Antichrist in the cradle. But Hell was blissfully unaware of the normal behaviour of an infant. _

_ Brother Francis and Nanny Ashtoreth stood in silence for an awkward moment, then Nanny turned around the pram. _

_ "Unh, here, Brother Francis, meet the Adversary, Destroyer of Kings, Angel of the Bottomless Pit, Prince of This World, and Lord of Darkness, Warlock Dowling," she mocked and he stepped up to her. _

_ "Oh." _

"Oh?"_ she repeated and hold her breath. _

_ "I think I expected something more _ irregular _ . Less _ human _ ," he wondered and her heart sank. She had hoped that maybe _ he _ could see something in the boy. Something she couldn't find, in her devastated frame of mind. _

_ "So you don't feel any strange vibes coming off of him, too? No demonic aura?" she asked. She did _ not _ dare to ask _'Nothing that reminds you of me?"

_ "No, perfectly human!" He beamed, "We can influence him." _

_ "Yeah... perfectly human" she echoed hollowly. _

* * *

Aziraphale stood in front of the door of Crowleys modern flat. He had not dared to miracle himself into it. Not after Crowleys' rash escape from his touch. He didn't want to scare him again.

The Angel straightened his lapels and laid both palms flat against the cool metal of the door. He let his senses diffuse through and into the rooms. He nodded in relief.

Crowley and Adam were on the other side. He rapped with the door knocker which formed a snake biting its tail.

Something moved behind the door. Aziraphale knocked again, this time louder.

"Crowley, it's me, please, open up the door. I'm here to help! Adam, let me in!"

"Asssiraphale... Pleassse help" replied Adams hissing voice from inside.

"I'm coming through" Aziraphale warned and stepped through the door, like it was made of smoke.

He found himself confronted with a giant snake

"Pleasse, Assiraphale, what happened? Crowley isssn't resss~ resss~-" Adam had difficulties to pronounce properly around his split tongue.

Aziraphale tipped him between the eyes and Adam turned human again

"Crowley isn't responding"

"Where is he?" he asked and moved down the darkened hallway

"Over there", Adam gestured in the rough direction of Crowleys plants.

He pressed water from his locks and slid his arms around his bare stomach,

"What happened? Where are we?" he inquired and Aziraphale chose not to answer completely.

"We are in London. Crowley used to live here, most of the time."

Adam looked up at the bare walls and down on cold stones

"This is no good home..." he decided "It's empty"

Aziraphale agreed silently.

* * *

_The lights were dimmed in Nanny Ashtoreths private rooms, as Brother Francis slipped through the door and Aziraphale closed it behind his back. He stopped and took the scenery in:_

_Nanny Ashtoreth was sitting on her sofa, long legs in front of her, spread open to make room for little Warlock. Bending herself over him, she was unremittingly stroking circles around his naked belly button. She hummed a mindless tune for him._

_She had discarded her hat and even glasses, stripped off her thick stockings and switched the skirt with wide, but fashionable harem trousers. Her blouse was partly unbuttoned and exposed her neck. Even her hair had come undone in the heated room. Aziraphale smiled. For the first time since the Antichrist arrived upon earth, his demon seemed to be more at ease. Less haunted._

_"What are you doing, dearest?" He crossed the room and sat down next to her, careful not to disturb the infant._

_"He is suffering from a stomachache," she explained and moved her hands in a flowing motion from his ribs down to his stomach "And as I picked up a thing or two when I was in India, I know how to help..." _

_Aziraphale lifted his hand "Why not miracle the pain away? Would be faster"_

_She shook her head. "He likes it. And-" she stilled her hands for a moment and searched Aziraphales eyes "- besides me, no one is touching him."_

_"I'm sure, his mother is touching him!" Aziraphale protested. Again, she shook her head with a tint of sadness in her eyes._

_"She holds him, yeah... But the way a crib is also doing. Hell did choose them not only for political reasons, Angel..." She resumed stroking over Warlock's belly as he scrunched his little nose. "Shhh..." she cooed and Aziraphale watched her in bewilderment._

_"Infants need to be touched to develop properly. So, yes, I'm massaging him." _

_She started to knead his legs. "He's sleeping better since I started to massage him." She drew little circles on the soles of his foot, before repeating her work with the other leg._

_Aziraphale smiled mildly and leaned forward, reaching out to her. She leaned in his embrace._

_"You are doing great, Love." He pressed a small kiss on her temple and to his immense relief, he finally got to see her smile again._

_She did _ not _ tell him, that massaging also was supposed to increase the bond between mother and child._

* * *

Between various pots in all shapes and sizes sat Crowley. Head hung low and knees drawn close to his chest. Aziraphale sat on the floor opposite him.

"Thank you, Adam. I will take over from here."

Without a further explanation, he tipped again at Adam's forehead and before the boy could raise a protest, he was sent back to Tadfield.

Aziraphale had more pressing matters at hand. They could deal with the kids later.

* * *

_Nanny Ashtoreth sat in a rocking chair, gently swinging back and forth. It was late at night and she was most likely the last person to be awake. She was singing a low tune she'd picked up a few millennia ago, forming ancients words only two beings on Earth remembered. They told of love and hurt and flowers and death. It was not a lullaby per se, but the child on her chest was sound asleep. Little fingers clutched at the hem of her high-necked nightgown and she was stroking absent-mindedly his back. His still baby blond locks shimmered golden in the yellowish glow of the nightlight. _

_Her gaze ran along the walls, covered by shelves, filled with plush teddies, little dinosaurs and obscure plastic toys she did not recognise. She sighed. Was little Warlock supposed to play with all this? He was barely 7 weeks old and had only recently learned how to smile. (And if Harriet Dowling prided herself on being the first person Warlock ever smiled at, then Nanny Ashtoreth would not correct her.) In her opinion, a baby needed its parents and not some weird toys. And Mr and Mrs Dowling were not good at their jobs..._

_Warlock stirred and whimpered, twisting in his sleep._

_"Shhh... it's alright." She caressed his neck and placed a gentle kiss on his crown. "Mummy's here," she whispered._

_The baby calmed down, snuggled closer and pressed its little nose against her, taking in her scent._

_She resumed stroking his back. His warmth filled her up and made her sleepy. Her eyes drifted closed and she miracled them a blanket before she fell asleep too._

_She still mourned the loss of the child she'd carried under her heart. The one, whose soul she touched._

_But _ this _ child, she had learned to love with all her heart the hard way. And one day, she might be able to look at his soul too._

_Moments like this took the sharp edges away._

* * *

"Crowley, my dear" Aziraphale whispered and reached out with careful fingers. "I am going to touch you" he announced and brushed his fingertips against tense shoulders.

Crowley showed no reaction.

"Come back to me, Love" he mumbled and brought their heads together, as he moved his fingers to Crowleys temples.

He felt his panic and emotions swirling around in his mind. They were spiralling him rapidly downwards.

Aziraphale let a soothing miracle flow from his fingers and tried to fill Crowleys head with calmness.

"Shh..." he cooed "I am here. You are safe, my Dear"

He pulled his wings into existence and wrapped them around Crowley and himself.

"I have you... You are safe. I will protect you" he repeated over and over.

Slowly, he felt Crowleys tense shoulders sag. His whitened knuckles loosened their grip on his shins and tears formed in his eyes.

"Zira" he muttered

"I am here, Love" Aziraphale assured and wiped the tears tenderly from his face.

Crowley leaned his head against Aziraphales chest.

The sat in silence for what could have been hours or moments.

Aziraphale gently stroking down red hair and Crowley sorting out painful memories.

The Angel waited.

"'m sorry!"

"You have nothing to apologise for! _I_ am incredibly sorry for upsetting you."

They fell silent again.

"Where is Adam?"

"I sent him back to Tadfield"

"Hm..." Crowley nodded "'m sorry I panicked"

"Can you tell me what happened?" Aziraphale asked and Crowley fell silent once again.

After a while, he started to speak. And Aziraphale listened, providing gentle words and a firm embrace


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading!
> 
> And thanks to RangerHorseTug whose idea I took as inspiration!

_Nanny Ashtoreth mustered Mr Dowling from behind dark glasses._

_"Yes...?" she asked and raised an eyebrow. "I am aware of Warlocks age"_

_"Yeah, well" Dowling shuffled nervously and was angry at himself. This woman always made him feel incompetent. If it weren't for Harriet's sake, he would have sacked her some time ago. _

_He decided to stand his ground _

_"Warlock doesn't need a nanny any more. After the summer, he will attend boarding school." He could feel her stare digging into his skull. He briefly wondered, what would happen, if she were not wearing those stupid sunglasses._

_She pursed her lips _

_"And so you mean to say...?" she challenged, daring Dowling to tell her off._

_"We are very grateful, for your devotional work with Warlock," Mrs Dowling added, "but he will leave and we are no longer in need of your services," she smiled apologetically._

_Nanny nodded sternly and turned on her heels. "So I'll leave in time"_

_Mr and Mrs Dowling exchanged nervous glances and wondered if they'd made a mistake._

_ Nanny _ _ walked down the corridor, her shoes clicking in an even rhythm. _

_click-click-click-click_

_The rhythm became faster._

_click-click-click-click-click_

_If somebody would have seen her, they might have had the impression that she was running. But that was nonsense, Nanny Ashtoreth did not run. And for sure, she did not cry._

_click-click-click-click-click-click_

_She was almost in her room when she was stopped._

_"Nanny, Nanny," her boy screamed in delight and ran up to her, eyes gleaming and hands dirty. Brother Francis was trailing behind and smiled fondly._

_"Brother Francis showed me the eggs of a kestrel and they hatched and he said-" Warlock rambled on and on. Nanny nodded, not listening. She went to her knees and hugged him tightly._

_"Ew, Nanny, I'm all dirty" he squirmed, remembering, what she taught him about being properly dressed._

_"I don't care, ducky..." she mumbled in his ear and he hugged back._

_"Mummy, are you crying?" he whispered in her ear. Despite his age, he knew it was a secret name. Only to be used in hushed voices and whispered in her ear (but allowed to be said out loud in the seclusion of her rooms, or the Gardeners hut)._

_Brother Francis furrowed his bushy brows and shot her a questioning look. Silently asking, what was wrong._

_She shook her head impalpably._

_"I don't feel well, Warlock. Will you stay with Brother Francis some more, please?" she asked_

_"But Mummy, I wan-" he was stopped when a hand landed on his shoulder_

_"Oh, dear young Warlock, aren't you hungry, too? Let's find us something to eat, will we?"_

_Warlock nodded and they left again._

_Nanny Ashtoreth made it into her room. She closed the door, provided some miracles and screamed herself hoarse._

_A familiar pain ripped through her and - along with her furniture - broke something inside of her again._

* * *

When Crowley stopped talking, Aziraphale held him close to his heart.

"May I take a proper look at you?" he asked and felt terrible about it. He knew he was taking advantage of Crowley's devastated state of mind. But he was convinced he wouldn't get another chance at seeing the inflicted damage for any time soon, if he'd let this opportunity slip.

And the sooner he knew, what they were confronted with, the sooner he could help Crowley. He'd suffered already for so long.

"I promise, I'll be careful. If you're uncomfortable, I'll stop immediately," Aziraphale vowed.

Crowley nodded obediently. Both of them closed their eyes and let go of their corporations.

* * *

_The day Nanny Ashtoreth left for good, Aziraphale found her hours later in a shabby dive bar at the other end of London._

_He slid into the wobbly chair next to her and stopped her shaking hand, as she reached again for the bottle._

_"Please, my dear, don't do this..." he said softly._

_She growled and wiped his hand away with an erratic movement. _

_The bottle shook precariously and she spilt almost half of it on her skirt, before taking a long sip._

_"goawayangel" she slurred and her head slumped down on the table again._

_Aziraphale took in the long row of empty bottles on the table and scattered on the floor. _

_He stood up again "I think you've had enough," he stated, took her by the arm and tried to lift her up._

_"No..." she wailed, angrily wiping tears from her face. "Leave me alone"_

_Heads turned in their direction, as other guests began to pay attention to them._

_"You really need to come with me" he insisted and pulled once more. _

_"I said, leave me alone!" _

_She pushed him away and he stumbled back. He bumped into someone who steadied him by the arm. _

_He turned around. _

_"Oh, my apolog-" and found himself pushed against a near table._

_ "The Lady said  _ 'No', _ old man!" the man growled. _

_"Yeah, leave her alone" another one added._

_ Aziraphale was torn between  _ taking pride  _ in these men, stepping up for a woman in difficulties and  _ being angered _ by their sudden rush of civil courage, when Crowley needed him. He held up his hands in defiance _

_"OK, OK, I'm going. No need to be rude!" he let himself shown out of the bar. He crossed the street, sat down at an empty bus stop and waited._

_A few hours later, Nanny was walked out of the bar by the bartender. _

_Aziraphale watched him close the door and talking to her. She shook her head and steadied herself at the wall. They seemed to argue but the demon lifted a shaking hand and snapped. _

_The bartender shrugged and turned away._

_Nanny stumbled around the corner of the bar and into a darkened alley._

_Aziraphale got up and followed her slowly._

_She'd slid down to the ground, head held between her knees and clutching unsteadily another bottle of wine in her left hand._

_Aziraphale miracled himself a clean spot on the street and sat down next to her._

_"Will you come home with me?"_

_She did not answer and Aziraphale looked at the brick wall opposite of them._

_"Warlock raged. He called his parents by names you would be very proud of..." he confided._

_Nanny slurred something and Aziraphale could only guess what she meant. He reached out to her and she allowed him to lay his arm around her shoulders._

_"I know he's your boy-," he said slowly and her head came up. She stared at him with watery eyes. Could it be? How had he come to know about it? He'd always claimed not to feel anything besides normal human vibes from Warlock. In Nanny's head swirled questions around but she was too drunk to formulate one coherently._

_"- I mean, you practically raised him," Aziraphale concluded and her heart sank. "He adores you more than his real mother. But we need to let him go, my dear. We cannot interfere furthermore. We laid the foundation, from now on it's up to the humans around him, isn't it? He will do good, I'm sure!"_

_She slid her free hand through her hair and pulled, as she started to laugh nervously. Her laughs turned to sobs._

_"He'sss my sss~son..." she confessed and Aziraphale nodded._

_"I know you feel like that. I feel connected to him too. But we are not his parents. Please, my dear, don't attach yourself too much to him. He is the son of Satan, after all!"_

_Nanny pushed herself forcefully away from him and took another sip from the bottle._

_She stayed silent for the rest of the night and Aziraphale kept watch over her._

_When she passed out, drunken senseless and her head lolled against the wall, he took her home._

* * *

Aziraphale found himself confronted with a massive heap of coils. Some of them the size of his human hips, most of them significantly broader. They slid over and under themselves, too entangled to say where the Serpent had their head or tail, or if they even had it (Aziraphale knew they didn't have either of those body parts). 

Black scales shimmered iridescent, while the red ones were glistening as if they were rivulets of blood. Midnight wings and feathers sprouted in an irritating pattern between them.

"I am going to touch you" Aziraphale announced and the Serpent stilled. Thousands of eyes opened all at once and stared at him unblinkingly.

He reached out and brushed along the smooth scales. 

The Angel traced with great care along Crowley's soul, trying to find his injury, while cautiously avoiding the Hellfire dancing along the scales.

"Where did He touch you?" he asked.

Without premonition, Crowley recoiled and hissed at him. Baring fangs from gullets which weren't there before, the fire flared up but did not threaten to touch him. 

Aziraphale withdrew his hands

"Do you need me to stop?"

Crowley didn't answer, so Aziraphale retreated.

From deep within coils a disembodied voice answered.

"No... please, angel, go on"

"Oh, love..." Aziraphale swallowed down the righteous fury rising in his chest at how  _ utterly  _ broken his demon sounded.

He reached out again to touch the scales and waited.

With time Crowley started to loosen up a bit. Tension melted away and granted Aziraphale access towards his most intimate part. Aziraphale knew he was getting closer. Crowley's shifting became more restless again. Hundreds of eyes followed his every movement with intense glares and feathers stood on edge.

Some maws bared fangs again, some dripping venom, some flicking nervous tongues out. 

All of them were hissing in a warning.

The sleek and shining perfection of Crowley's appearances became more and more distorted, the closer Aziraphale moved towards the initial injury.

The black scales were dulled, the red ones dried out and scabbed-over. Flames almost extinguished and yellow eyes blind or glazed-over.

The moment Crowley lifted the last coil hesitantly out of Aziraphales way, the Angel had to force himself to stay in place.

It was even worse than he had anticipated.

A gaping disruption went through Crowley's soul, dripping and oozing with oily ichor. The stench was almost unbearable. Aziraphale could make out patches where the ugly margins had begun to heal poorly and rigid scar tissue had formed.

Other spots were frayed even more as if the initial injury had been ripped open over and over again. As Crowley broke some more.

"You've been trying to deal with this yourself?" Aziraphale wondered and scolded himself for not noticing Crowley's constant pain.

"I want to help you, my dear. May I touch you? I promise to be careful."

"Hm," Crowley allowed and tensed in anticipation.

He followed Aziraphales movements with his unhurt eyes, tongues tasting the air restlessly.

Aziraphale reached out and Crowley panicked.

* * *

_Crowley smiled secretly over the top of his newspaper and watched the children across the lawn. The eight-year-olds were having a field day and had hiked up here. (Of course, Crowley had not!) They sat together in little groups and ate their picnic. _

_He knew, Warlock had spotted him already and waited for the perfect moment to dodge the security guards, herding the pupils. _

_Crowley provided a helpful miracle and Warlock flopped himself down on the bench next to him, as the security guards had to shoo away a flock of ducks who'd left their nearby pond to examine the snacks._

_"Hey dad" Warlock greeted and Crowley kept holding up his newspaper to shield them from prying eyes. He smiled warmly at his boy_

_"Hey there ducky!"_

_"Did you bring me anything?" he asked and glanced at the bag standing next to Crowley's feet. _

_He winked and shoved it over to him._

_"Take a look" he invited and Warlock started rummaging through the bag._

_He dug out his favourite snack and shared it with Crowley._

_ Warlock didn't know  _ how  _ Crowley managed to show up to each and every field trip.  _ How _ he knew of all of Warlock's school presentations, sports contests and theatre plays. But he could count on him - or on rare occasions on her - to show up and support him.  _

_And if his parents managed to be around, he would probably only see a glimpse of red hair and dark glasses in the crowd. But when they weren't - and that was at the majority of events - they would sit down together and talk._

_ The exception were his birthday parties. For these, Crowley alway _ s made _ sure to sneak in and speak with him. Whether he masqueraded as a waiter or a security guard, Warlock would always find him. _

_And though he never touched a plate or looked out for the safety of the guests, no one grew suspicious. Not even those who knew Nanny Ashtoreth seemed to be the tiniest bit confused. _

_And he always seemed to know Warlocks most secret birthday wishes._

_Warlock loved these stolen moments they shared._

_And judging by the loving smile Crowley would grant him, the feeling was mutual._

* * *

Crowley recoiled violently, closing in on himself and Aziraphale got caught between sturdy loops.

In a cacophony of sounds, he emitted a high-pitched scream which would haunt the Angel for eternity.

Aziraphale's instincts screamed at him to fight, to break himself free from this demonic fiend, who threatened to touch him with Hellfire.

He did the only thing he could think of. He lurched forward, making himself smaller, longer, bigger and thinner, at the same time. He reshaped golden rings, eyes and wings and fitted himself perfectly in the gaping hole of Crowley's soul.

* * *

_Warlock found Crowley away from the party preparations in a more secluded and private part of the garden. Under a tree, they sat on a bench, close to each other._

_"Happy Birthday, ducky" Crowley ruffled through Warlock's hair. The smile he provided didn't match his tone. And the boy noticed._

_"What's wrong?" he asked and Crowley grimaced._

_"You're eleven now... You grew up so fast. I wish we'd had more time -" he trailed off and Warlock thought he saw a flicker of sadness around his lips._

_Crowley seemed to shake off an unpleasant thought "Here, for you." _

_He handed Warlock a small package who turned it around in his hands_

_"Go on, open it up" _

_The boy unwrapped a silver necklace with a pendant._

_The black and red snake in his palm felt warm and like safety._

_Warlock beamed and pointed at Crowley's temple "It's like yours!"_

_The demon touched his own snake and nodded, "Yes, it's like mine -" he hesitated for a moment "- like me."_

_Warlock looked at him in confusion and anticipated an explanation but got none._

_"You won't forget me, will you? And you'll remember what Brother Francis taught you, yes?"_

_"Dad, what are you talking about? Of course, I won't forget you!" Warlock leaned forward, trying to get a look at Crowley's eyes "Are you all right?"_

_"Warlock -" he took off his glasses to underline the importance of his words "- the next couple of days will be confusing and probably terrifying. But please, remember, I love you. I ever did and will always do." _

_The boy nodded hesitatingly, "I love you too. But... Dad, what is this about? You are scaring me. What will happen?"_

_Crowley cupped his cheek gently. "Your destiny will happen... You will receive the power to crush your enemies under your heels. But remember, what Brother Francis taught you. Who your friends and enemies are. Remember the good things on earth, will you?"_

_Warlock nodded, still unsure, but assumed it was another one of the strange bits of advice from his dad. Probably a very awkward way to talk about puberty. _

_"I will remember you and Francis," he promised._

_Now, Crowley smiled for real._

_He beckoned him to come closer and took the necklace from his hands._

_"Keep this pendant on you and a part of me will stay with you for protection. As long as I'm alive, my magic will protect you!" he breathed over the small snake and it started to wiggle and move over his palm. Warlock stared in awe. He'd seen his dad perform the occasional magic trick over the years but he was never sure whether it was the real deal or a really good illusion._

_"You should do the magic show later and not that crappy guy with the stupid drawn on moustache."_

_Crowley laughed "Actually, he is way better than I am. But I agree with the crappy show and the stupid moustache..."_

_He hung the necklace around Warlock's neck "Here..." he tipped the small wiggling snake with his fingertip "I am Crowley, Serpent of Eden and First Tempter." He started solemnly whispering to the snake. "With this charm, I'll take you under my wing" he vowed and poured his magic into the pendant._

_Warlock felt something warm slid away from the necklace and around his neck, down his spine, around his hips and up his belly. It rested on the pendant._

_He looked up in confusion "What was that?"_

_Crowley invited him into his arms and as the boy leaned against him, he pressed him tightly to his chest. _

_"You are now protected by my magic," he whispered in his ear, "Whatever Heaven or Hell will throw in your way, if it's in my power to avert it, this charm will keep you safe." _

_Crowley knew, if an Archangel was about to strike down on the boy, his magic was useless. But his protection would work against most Angels and Demons._

_He kissed his head. "I am confident that you will make the right choices!" He let go of him and leaned back on the bench, sliding the glasses again up his nose "Now go and enjoy your birthday party. And -" he added as an afterthought, "be a good boy and cod the magician a bit, will you?"_

* * *

_"Wrong boy..."_

_"Wrong boy."_

_In Crowley's head swirled thousands of thoughts and emotions._

_He was relieved, that it wasn't his beloved Warlock who'd end the world._

_ He was horrified that his biological son had been lost  _ somewhere _ for the last eleven years. He could not guess how he would be like. Was he like his father? Had Crowley's influence vanished, once he'd abandoned him? He should have never given him to the nuns. _

_He feared whether it was all part of Lucifer's plan. Or if he'd set Crowley on the wrong track on purpose. And this was an implication that scared him more than an accidental switch of the babies._

_But one fear stood out above the rest: How would Hell react when they'd realise, that Warlock wasn't the Antichrist. He had to protect him at all costs!_

_"Angel, please!" he begged, "When Hell finds out, they'll kill him!" _

_Aziraphale sighed "Crowley, I-"_

_"Please! We cannot let him get killed. We practically raised him, it's my fault that the forces of Hell will come for him." his voice wavered, "He is only human! He won't stand a chance on his own."_

_His voice bordered on frantic despair. Even if Warlock was not the boy he'd given birth to, he cherished him with all the love the Almighty had left in him._

_"But we can't take him with us, my dear!" Aziraphale intervened "I assume the both of us will still try to avert the Apocalypse, won't we? This will not keep him out of Hell's reach."_

_Crowley became silent. He propped his elbows on the steering wheel and pushed his hands into his hair._

_"So what do you suggest? Shrug it off and consign Warlock to his fate?"_

_"Of course not, my dear!" he said softly. "I know how much he means to you." Aziraphale reached over and coaxed Crowley's hands from his hair._

_The demon looked up at him._

_"We cannot let him die" he repeated and Aziraphale nodded slowly, stroking gently over his knuckles._

_"I've laid a protection spell over him. Please, Angel, do the same." He almost sobbed and grabbed Aziraphales hand "Give him your blessings, he must not die!"_

_The angel nodded "Yes, I will, my dear."_

_Crowley slumped down in relief "Thank you, angel" he breathed, closing his eyes._

_He could do nothing else to protect him. _

* * *

_"You smell like poo" Warlock stated and the non-convincing archaeologist in front of him wailed in anger._

_The little serpent on his necklace reared its head and started moving towards the collar of his shirt._

_Hastur grabbed Warlock and shook him "Where is the dog?" _

_The security guards were unfazed by this and stared into the desert._

_"This is Crowley's doing, isn't it?" he drew him closer and sniffed the air "I can smell him on you..." his face twisted into an ugly grimace "Oh, and an angel, too"_

_Warlock tried to squirm free of Hastur's grasp, trying to get the attention of the _dazed adults, but they didn't seem bothered.

_"Ow, let me go! Mum, Dad, please, help me!" panic started to rise in the boy. _

_"It's all right, Warlock..." his mother answered absent-mindedly, not able to see behind the spell Hastur placed over the group._

_"What are you to him, boy? Hm?" Hastur turned him around "Did he bewitch you?" A malicious grin spread over his lips, "I think I should make an example, what do you think, little human?" _

_Then everything happened at once. _

_ The little snake shot forward as Hastur lifted his hands at Warlock's throat to strangle him. It grew in an instant and was as high as Hastur himself. It bared sharp teeth and bit down forcefully in his shoulder and yanked him away from Warlock. Hastur let out a pained howl as his flesh started to sizzle. Something  _ holy _ dripped from the snake's fangs into him.  _

_This must have been the angel's work._

_"CROWLEY!" Hastur screeched wildly with pain and anger. The snake grew even more and wrapped itself in heavy coils around Warlock, hiding him completely. _

_Hastur tired to rip through to get to the boy, but found himself unable to touch merely the scales. Some kind of holy aura surrounded the boy and the serpent and burnt Hastur's fingertips. He growled low. He'd come back to the human when he'd dealt with Crowley._

_And with a snap of his fingers, he vanished._

_And thousands of kilometres away, Crowley felt the protection spell feeding off of his magic. And even before Hastur showed up as a rabbit, he knew Hell was about to come for him. _

_But his boy had survived his encounter with Hastur. And for Crowley, Warlock's life was worth facing Hell's wrath._


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for tagging along on the ride and waiting patiently for my updates. As always, life sometimes has its way to thwart one's plans... (And the fact, that I had a little plotbunny - [My dear angel, ...](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21693910) \- to nourish did not help to get on with this one)  
Please let yourself be assured: Your kudos, comments and bookmarks really make my day when life spirals out of control. Thank you very much!
> 
> This chapter turned out shorter than the previous ones, sorry about that but it made more sense to divide it like this. This story is almost at its end, there's only one more chapter to go (probably). 
> 
> The wonderful RangerHorseTug wrote an accompanying AU story taking off from the end of chapter 1. It's sweet and lovely and angsty and has Crowley interacting with Adam and Warlock likewise and is overall really heartwarming 💚 you really should check it out!  
[How To Be An Emotional Support Snek (TM) by RangerHorseTug](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22025986)

All noises died at once in the vacuum of their newfound existence. They fit together perfectly. Melting together, Crowley and Aziraphale became one entity. The perfect balance. Someone new and old altogether. Something different, neither from Heaven, nor Hell, nor Earth.

"Oh," they exclaimed, "I didn't know this was possible... Though it may have never been tried before."

They did not dare to move. This new creature had infused themselves with the minds and memories of both the angel and the demon.

After hours of getting to know themselves, the being decided to become two individuals again, instead of one. Their own existence almost too much to process. Carefully they disentangled themselves and sorted through memories, thoughts and values.

They pushed and pulled away and one became two again.

"What happened?" asked the part of them that had become Crowley again.

"I-... I think-... I-" the one who was now Aziraphale stuttered "I don't know for sure..."

"Hm, me neither..."

The both of them fell silent. It had felt like in the Beginning, the _ very _ Beginning. Like a new creation, like something neither angels nor demons should be allowed to talk - or even know - about. It felt like _ blasphemy _ . And neither of them felt brave enough to voice another thought. Maybe they needed to brood over it for some millennia before they were able to speak about _ it _.

"Crowley-" the angel hesitated and tried to find the right words, while inadvertent tears spilt from his countless eyes, "I am truly sorry for what you had to endure."

"I know, angel," he whispered. And he did.

* * *

_Crowley lost count, of how many bottles of whiskey he'd emptied already. He surveyed the bottles on the table unsteadily. There were probably six, but he might as well was seeing double by now. But this wasn't important any more... _

_ He was about to break apart for good. Pain pulsed in his ears and everything _ hurt so fucking much. _ He couldn't concentrate anymore and the alcohol was only beginning to dull the agony and fierce torment raging through him. His _ very self _ dissolved from the inside, beginning at the part that now belonged to someone else. _

_ He and Aziraphale hadn't been able to locate the Antichrist, Warlock was not his son - something he couldn't wrap his head around -, the bookshop was burning to the ground and Aziraphale was gone. _

_ Crowley did not know if he was gone for good _ _or merely discorporated. If it was_ _ the latter - if he'd been ordered back to Heaven - they would force him to fight in their war. And Crowley could not bear to see him wield a sword in order to strike down demons. He did not want to meet his angel back on the battlefield. _

_ But it was not very likely for him anyway. For sure, Hell did not want him any more on the battlefield than they did in Hell. Especially not after his deliberate obliteration of a Duke of Hell. _

_ Crowley took another sip directly from the bottle. He knew he should sober up and find Warlock. With Aziraphale gone, Crowley couldn't be sure if his celestial protection was still intact and shielded his boy from Hell's clutches. _

_ "I hope I didn't spoil your chances of getting yourself a spot in Heaven," Crowley mumbled with sorrow heavy in his voice, "Heaven is not ideal, but it's significantly better for you than Hell." If he hadn't tried to even out Aziraphale's ethereal influence over the supposed Antichrist, his human soul would not be so tarnished as it was now. The demon had no illusions about the impending death of the whole of humankind. They had lived off borrowed time. Heaven and Hell wanted a clean slate to stage their war, no third party involved. He did not know how it would be done, but Crowley knew that the four Horsepeople were to be involved. War would come first and Famine and Pollution were to follow, while Death would reap them all. _

_ For a horrifying moment, the thought to end Warlock's life himself crossed his mind. A quick and merciful death instead of one in agony and fear. He gestured to the bartender for another bottle, to drown _ this _ particular image from his mind. _

_ This would be his last drink. The _ very last _ one. His knuckles clanged against the glass as he turned its contents into Aziraphale's favourite beverage. Crowley forgot what it was called, but he remembered its taste on the angel's lip. "To the end of times, angel," he slurred and emptied it almost in one go, "And to the old times, too" - another sip - "We had a good time -" An idea struck him and he stopped in his drunken rambling. Perhaps... if he could strike a deal with an angel...? Trading Warlock's soul for his own life. He would be saved in Heaven and protected from the torturers of Hell, who most surely awaited him as retribution for Crowley's betrayal) The demon himself did not plan on resisting a smiting or killing blow from a celestial sword altogether. Crowley could not bear to see his _ begotten son _ as the Beast he must have become by now. _

_ He just started to sober up to think about this new idea, when the air in front of him blurred. _

_ "Aziraphale?" _

* * *

"How do you feel, my dear?" Aziraphale asked, still surrounded by the large ethereal body of the serpent, again coiled around himself, shielding his injury.

"Better, I think..." Crowley hummed "Much better even..."

"Am I allowed to look again?"

Without hesitation he opened up again, to allow Aziraphale near. Once more the angel began to trace carefully over the scales, not yet touching. He noticed how this time, Crowley didn't threaten him, even moving willingly away to grant him access. No bared teeth, no flaring Hellfire. He almost seemed at ease.

"Oh, my dear," Aziraphale breathed when Crowley opened up to show him the injury. He smiled. "May I?" he asked before he touched Crowley again. The scales were still disrupted by a large gash which was now cauterized and dry.

"It's not weeping anymore!" he exclaimed, examining the margins closely.

Crowley hummed again, eyes drifting shut. "Ssshould turn back..." he yawned. Aziraphale nodded, pulled back and nudged the snake gently into his corporation.

"Come on, my dear, you must be exhausted..." The demon slumped against him "I think you should rest now..." he whispered in his ear and Crowley nodded as his head sunk unto the angel's shoulder. He willed the both of them into Crowley's bed and tucked him in. Aziraphale watched silently over him, dragging gentle fingers through red hair. The memories they had shared so briefly greyed and dulled. They faded from Aziraphale's mind but the faint remembrance of pain and fear stayed. He bowed over Crowley's sleeping form and kissed his brow.

Then the angel propped himself up against the headboard and closed his eyes. _ Just a moment, to regain some strength... _Then he dozed off, too.

* * *

_"You. Boy. The Antichrist. What's your name again?" _

_ "Adam Young" _

_ Crowley pocketed the name in the depths of his heart _

_ "So. Your friends all got together and saved the world. Well done. Have a gold star" he tried to sound sarcastic but didn't mean it. Crowley was sure, if he squinted in _ just _ the right angle, he could see the resemblance to the baby he once held so close to his heart. _

_ 'My boy' he thought and hid his fond smile behind nonchalance. _

* * *

_He and Aziraphale flanked Adam when they outsmarted Gabriel and Beelzebub. But then, all threatened to fall apart. _

_ Crowley felt Satan's grip around him, as He used the demon as a lever to push Himself unto the airbase. Crowley fell to the ground, while Lucifer Himself screamed deafeningly in his head, his anger and rage washing over him, filling him with fear. _

_ "You disobeyed, you betrayed me! Me!" He screeched and Crowley wanted nothing more than to cover his ears and scream for himself. "Oh, I'll drag you down, you and your treacherous brat. You will pay! Conspiring against me... I'll string you up by the tips of your wings... The lesser demons will get a bite of your flesh and the higher-ups will get their way with you... You angered many demons today, Crowley." He flooded the demon's mind with visions, so terrible and real, that it made Crowley shake. "And when they're done, when you think you've endured all, when you assume it's over, then it will be my turn... I'll take you apart, vein by vein, fibre by fibre, bone by bone. Oh, I'm going to take my time with you..." Crowley crumbled even more down, trying to make himself a smaller target. "And when I'm satisfied with your corporation, I will turn to your soul. All those shiny scales - I'll remove them, one by one. And the boy will watch. And finally - when there is almost nothing left of you that might be called alive, when you're nothing more than a bloody mess under my feet - then the both of you will switch places." _

_ Crowley started to shake violently from the onslaught of horrendously gory images in his mind. " _ _ Please, no..." he whimpered, too low to be heard over the rumbling underneath and the sound of breaking tarmac. "Spare him. Spare Adam. It was me... not him! I am the traitor." Crowley pleaded under heavy breaths, unaware of Adams scrutinizing stare on his back. _

_ Under Satan's continued screeching, he almost couldn't make out Aziraphale. He pushed himself up slightly and locked eyes with the angel, conveying the love he had for him without words. _

_"_ _It was nice knowing you." _

_"We can't give up now" Aziraphale replied. As a denizen of Heaven, he was spared from Satan's rush on his head and still thought they stood a chance._

_"This is Satan himself. It isn't about Armageddon." He shook his head and decided to confess his participation in Armageddon "This is personal. We are fucked. Angel _ I _-"_

_ Aziraphale bowed down and picked up his sword. Crowley's eyes widened. _

_ "Come up with something, or..." Was Aziraphale really going to threaten him? Was _ he _ going to become the first casualty of the war? _ _The demon briefly wondered if this prospect was better or worse than Satan's threats._

_ "Or... I'm never going to talk to you again." Crowley nodded - and time stopped with a snap of his fingers. _

_ When they settled outside of time, Crowley rolled his shoulders to ease his wings. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the ringing silence in his head. Now, without Satan ramming His anger directly into Crowley's skull, he could think straight again. He looked at Adam and saw him clear as day - the boy bore no resemblance to his infernal father. His aura was kind and loving, sliding around his body like coils on a sun-heated stone. Crowley saw a hint of his Soul and much of his Heart. Maybe they would stand a chance against Satan. Could Aziraphale see it too? Whom the boy resembled so closely? _

_ The demon stared as the angel and the Antichrist talked. He was too absorbed and way too tired to add much to the conversation. Between the constant protection spell around Warlock, his imaginative ride to Tadfield and now the stopping of time, his power was almost depleted. He had to hand over their fates to the boy who seemed so scared himself. _

_ He gripped the tire iron tight. "Adam, reality will listen to you, right now. You can change things. And when I start time, you'll have to do it fast-" _ Because He will try to drag us down immediately. And I can't manage any more miracles. _Crowley cut himself off, concealing for the boy's sake how weak he felt, how scared he was and how helpless he was in the face of Satan himself._

_ Adam looked at him with knowing eyes. In this special place between space and time, he'd discovered something in Crowley too. _

_ When Adam took Crowley's hand, he squeezed it reassuringly, the boy looking up at him in awe. _ _For the first time in almost eleven years, Crowley felt whole again. _ _And for the first time in almost eleven years, Adam felt the writhing mass that never seemed to quite fit under his skin, becoming quiet and calm._

_ And suddenly, Crowley dared to hope again. _

* * *

Something had woken Aziraphale with a start. And this in itself was a startling sensation. Not once in his six millennia on Earth, had he slept. He turned to lay on his back. Next to him, hidden under a soft blanket, he could make out a mop of red hair. The angel smiled lovingly and wormed his hand under the cover to caress Crowley's back. The demon did not so much as stir. How long had they been sleeping? Dust had settled on the shelves and floor around them, keeping a discreet circle around the bed miraculously clean. The sound that had awoken him repeated itself. _Ah, Crowley's phone_.

The phone (which wasn't expected to die of a low battery, thank you very much) flashed a frantic light and vibrated again on the nightstand. Aziraphale took it without wondering how it happened to end up next to them. He frowned at the display. "hmm?..." he looked again "Oh. _Oh!_" Aziraphale sat up straight. He started to gently wake up Crowley.

"My dearest-" a gentle shake "-wake up!" The demon made an incomprehensible sound and turned away, sliding farther under the covers. "Crowley, we slept for four weeks!" He glanced again at the display "I think we worried the humans..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year to all of you! May 2020 bring the things you need in your life 💚


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here's the next chapter. I assumed it would be the last one, but it grew and grew and so I decided to split it up...  
As always I am so excited about your comments and kudos <3 Thank you very much!

"Erm... yeah, hi Adam-"

Aziraphale could hear the boy shouting through the speaker and Crowley scrunched his nose as he held the phone away from his ear. "Yeah, I know ... ... yes...... hn, sorry about that ... ... hm ..." He scratched his head and glanced at Aziraphale who nodded assuringly, spurring Crowley to continue on, "Adam, we-, we need to talk... ... yes ... ... no- ... ... what? ... ... ok ... ... at Aziraphale's bookshop ... ... yes, bring Dog with you ... what? Tomorrow already?" for a short moment he sounded panicked and the angel laid a hand on his shoulder "er, n-, ok, tomorrow... ... We'll pick you up... hm ... ... yeah... ... bye Adam"

Crowley hung up and turned around to face Aziraphale "This was the easy part...," he mumbled, turning his head to press a nervous kiss on Aziraphale's hand, which still rested on his shoulder.

"It will be alright, my dear. He's a good kid. He will understand," the angel answered, cupping his cheek, "You will do just fine, my dear!"

The following day, they picked Adam and Dog up at the train station. The boy immediately hugged Crowley and examined him closely. "Are you ok?"

"I do feel better, yes. But- please, not here, ok? We'll talk at the bookshop, yes?" He glanced at the humans passing by to emphasise his point. He didn't want anyone - human or not - to eavesdrop on them.

"Hm." Adam looked as if he was about to argue so Aziraphale intercepted.

"How was your ride, Adam? How about we grab something to eat before we head to the bookshop, shall we?" He shoved himself between the two and hugged Adam as well. "How about the Ritz, my dear?" Aziraphale suggested and Crowley shrugged, adjusting his sunglasses before sliding his fingers into his pockets. "Probably not the best place to find something for a kid with a hellhound companion, don't you think? What do you want, scamp?" Crowley looked down at the former Antichrist

Adam grinned "How about burgers?" he suggested and the demon nodded.

"I know the perfect place..."

Once they had eaten - well, Adam and Aziraphale had, Crowley was merely pushing fries around his plate with his fork - they found themselves on their way to the bookshop. Aziraphale talked to Adam, while Crowley pretended to pay attention to the traffic, doing his best to avoid the conversation. Once in Soho, they sat down at the little table in the flat above the shop. The angel provided tea, the demon provided answers.

"So, uhm..." Crowley began and Adam looked at him expectantly. "You said you remember _ things _... That you have dreams. What are they about?" he asked tentatively, turning the mug in his hands in endless circles.

The boy perked up slightly in his chair, eager to talk finally about his dreams with someone who took them for real. "I think I used to dream of you... but... you look different. When I saw you at the airbase I thought immediately _ 'That's her!' _ But you were not a woman and they were only dreams and I was not sure, so much was happening then. And then you tried to bargain with Satan and I've been wondering since then... I have the feeling I knew you forever. I am not sure if this makes any sense at all." He shrugged and furrowed his brows.

The demon swallowed dryly and Aziraphale laid his open hand onto Crowley's thigh. He took it without hesitation, interweaving their fingers.

Trailing a hand down his head, red hair grew longer, spilt over his shoulders and down his back. Aziraphale pressed his fingers in support. He hadn't been aware that Crowley planned to change - or how much he was about to alter. He got his answer instantly as with a little twist of the demon's shoulders, his body changed too.

"You are right," she explained haltingly, "I had a female corporation then and... I was there, when you were, uhm-, created..."

Adam nodded, taking in Crowley's sudden change "But... erm... I'm sorry, I don't know a better way to phrase it... But-" he hesitated and waited for Crowley's defeated nod before continuing, "- Were you in pain?"

Crowley huffed. "I think I have some confessions to make..." she said slowly and started to explain.

She spared the kid the gruesome details but made their history clear. She talked of the endless days in Lucifer's throne room, of their shared soul and the switch at Saint Beryl's. Her voice broke, when she told him about Warlock.

Adam listened keenly and soaked every word in. Crowley was grateful he didn't interrupt to ask questions. They had held this conversation many times in her head since the world hadn't ended. She had rehearsed her phrases and contemplated every word carefully. She wasn't sure if she could resume if she stopped even for a moment.

"I cannot express how sorry I am for keeping this from you and for not being by your side," Crowley concluded and they sat together in silence.

"Shall I get us another pot of tea?" Aziraphale asked, subtly offering them some space.

"Yes please," Crowley answered softly, as Adam nodded. Before the angel left, he squeezed her shoulder assuringly and touched Adam's hand.

* * *

Aziraphale grabbed the kitchen counter so hard, his knuckles went white. He'd heard Crowley's story before, _ for Heaven's Sake _ , he'd _ shared _ her memories when they had accidentally merged their souls. But they had faded soon after and remained as pale pictures, detached from Crowley's emotions. Listening to her recalling the occurrences in a hoarse whisper to her son, made him boil with the Righteous Anger of an angel about to smite _ Someone _. He had to leave the table not only to give them time alone, but to calm himself down. He didn't want to hurt one of them in a misguided burst of Holiness.

The angel was angry at himself, _ how could he'd been so blind to Crowley's anguish? _He'd asked this question since the day of the demon's revelation, had been thinking about all the times Crowley had tried to tell him in a frightened attempt to seek his help. He dwelled on how he never understood what his demon was seeking to convey without revealing themselves to their head offices.

* * *

"Adam, I am really sorry!" Crowley repeated.

"So... my memories-" he hesitated and waited for her nod "-they are real? _ All _ of them?" the boy asked shocked.

"Hm, they might be not. I don't know, what's in -"

"That's not true," Adam interrupted and Crowley's eyes went wide.

"No, oh Adam. No, honestly I-" she defended herself desperately.

"No, I mean-, " he sorted out his thoughts, "- you did not _ lie _ to me, but you did not tell all of it, didn't you? I have the feeling you left something out..." he lifted his eyes questioningly, wanting to know.

She looked at her hands, clamped around the empty cup of tea. It was hard to deny her boy the answers to his questions. _ She _ had Fallen for asking, how could her child be any different?

"Some _ things _ are better left unsaid..." she mumbled. She would _ not _ tell the boy something that would scar him for life.

"Did I-... I dreamt... I mean... Did because of me-" Adam stopped himself and trained his eyes on Dog, who'd stretched to lay his snout into the boy's lap. "Did you die because I was born? Did _ He _ order them to... _ you know... _ because _ I _ hurt you so much?" He asked in a hushed voice thick with tears and Crowley paled.

"No! _ Oh, Adam _ , no. No... please don't think that." She reached across the table to disentangle his hands and wrapped her long fingers gently around his. "You didn't have any control in the circumstances of... of your birth." She was painfully aware that _ she _ had failed Adam at the very first duty a mother had to fulfil for their children. "If it hadn't been for... _ the Caesarean _ ... well... I _ was _ about to discorporate and would have dragged you down with me. I don't know what might have happened to you by then."

"But if not for me, you wouldn't have died"

"No, I... hm... I was _ discorporated _. That's a difference. See,-" Crowley waved one hand through the air, as if to grab the right words, while she still held onto him with her other "-dying is for humans. It's a permanent transition. I got a new corporation almost immediately. It's more of an inconvenience than a prolonged problem."

"You are lying again," Adam noted, withdrawing his hands from hers and started to scratch Dog in an attempt to have somewhere else to look.

The demon closed her eyes and bit her lip. The boy was right. She'd been violated in more than one way when her corporation failed to work. What then followed was neither good nor bad, it was conveniently numb. The process of getting incorporated, on the other hand, was far from pleasant. The giant Serpent had to be crammed into a way too small body. The demons who'd stuffed her into it weren't fussy in doing so and paid no attention to her injury.

She took a deep breath. "You are right... it was bad... But it was necessary to bring you forth. I'm sorry I lied to you."

* * *

Aziraphale put the kettle on the stove and watched it boil without interest. He didn't want to be eavesdropping on Crowley and her son but he felt the urge to make sure that she was safe. He reached out and sighed. Though tainted by the angst and fear smouldering between them, the unadulterated love radiating from the next room made him blush. And it was not only Crowley's devotion for her son but also Adam's. The boy himself had wrapped her in layers upon layers of love so strong, Aziraphale could feel it under his metaphorical fingertips. It was too much. The angel went to his knees, pressed his palms together and wept.

"Mother, why?"

* * *

They sat in silence, Adam working through the things he'd learned and Crowley scrutinising his face to see if he could cope with it. She wanted to have a premonition if things started to go awry.

"_ What _ am I?" Adam finally inquired "With you as my mother and _ Him _ as my father... What does this make me? Am I a demon?" Crowley shook her head. "Maybe you were something like that once... before the Apocalypse... but you had the power to shape reality and you rejected Satan as your father. You made very clear, _ whom _ you considered your parent and so you became human, too." She sounded downcast and Adam picked up on it.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know about-" "You don't have to apologise, Adam. Aziraphale said it to you at the airbase and it still holds true: It's not a bad thing to be human." _ For you, at least _ , she added in the stillness of her mind. _ You and Warlock are going to get your spots in Heaven one day and I must stay on Earth and cope with the loss. _

They fell silent again.

"I heard Satan's threats when he rose himself to the airfield," Adam whispered and Crowley's heart constricted. She averted her eyes.

"I am sorry. I can take these memories from you. I can erase them." She whispered in return. "Please, Adam, the human mind is not built to withstand the images of Hell's torture. Let me take them for your sake." It was bad enough for _ her _ to wake up in a cold sweat some nights. Crowley could not imagine how a human mind would cope with it. Or _ if _ it even could.

"I did not _ see _ it," Adam clarified and she let out a breath she did not know she held, "I _ heard _ what he screamed at you. _ Felt _ his anger - felt _ your _ fear," he moved uncomfortably in his seat and clutched his hands together on the table. "You pleaded for me. Begged him to spare me, though you didn't even know me. I felt your _ love _ for me I-" Crowley looked finally up and reached once more out to him, taking his hands gently and stroking the tension out of his fingers "I want to remember what your Love felt like," he whispered.

"I recognised you. I _ knew _ you the moment I saw you taking on the Horsepeople. I failed to protect you for so long, I couldn't let Satan get to you..."

She tipped up his chin with a pale finger and locked eyes with him.

"Adam, keeping you safe is the least I can do." _ I failed to protect you for too long already... _"And this promise remains! You are a wonderful boy and more than worth my damnation."

She shoved her chair aside to kneel beside him when tears started to form in his eyes. The demon pulled him into her arms when Adam slumped towards her thin frame.

* * *

The Love still washing over Aziraphale took away his distress, smoothed out the edges of his Righteous Anger and filled him up. How could a human child bear so much love within themself?

He made a slow and careful gesture in front of him. An angel's blessing, to ensure that Deirdre and Arthur Young would live long, healthy and happy lives. He knew this was the least he could do for them. These humans had taken good care of Crowley's kid. Raised him in the best way humans could manage.

With the infernal heritage of his father, Adam might've been so much worse than the sweet and loving boy he was now. Aziraphale was convinced that a big part of Adam's gentle heart was due to Crowley's love - for the world and humans alike - but with someone different than the Youngs, he could have ended up stopping the existence of Humanity itself.

Aziraphale understood Crowley was grateful too. He'd seen it when they first met the couple. Back _ then _, when he hadn't known about his demon's part in the creation of Adam, Crowley had been nervous and tetchy the whole day but Aziraphale assumed it was because they were about to enter the home of the Antichrist. He had relaxed as soon as Deidre had offered a gentle smile and kind words and Arthur had complimented the Bentley.

By now, they were proud to consider the humans as their friends and Aziraphale knew that Crowley had no intention of annihilating their bond with Adam. She did not want to supersede them as his parents. She wanted to take part in his life, alongside the humans who raised him.

And the angel was sure they would grant it, even if they'd never knew why.

* * *

"This wasn't right... You should have been there..." Adam cried and leaned into her embrace.

"I'm sorry I wasn't, Adam. I didn't know!" She apologised, casting her eyes down and away from Adam. She felt miserable. The boy was right. "When I saw you the first time after my recorporation, they had changed you so much... All these years I assumed that I was truly by your side. I can't say how sorry I am. I promised you I'd come and find you, but I failed you."

"No, that's not what I meant. You deserved to be here." He pushed himself in an upright position and reached for her temples.

"What?" Crowley looked up again and when their eyes met, she gasped. Adam held her gaze as golden eyes expanded and went full serpentine. Her lips trembled and tears started falling down her face

"Oh, Adam..." She whispered, almost a prayer.

Aziraphale returned the exact moment as Crowley toppled to the floor and Adam collapsed back into his chair, panting heavily and exhausted. Dropping the teapot to shatter on the tiles, Aziraphale rushed forward, pulling Crowley's head into his lap

"What have you done?" He snapped at Adam, immediately falling back into his role as the Guardian of Eden, protecting the one being that had protected him for so long, not caring that the one he snapped at was, in fact, Crowley's child.

"I fixed it," he mumbled before he lost consciousness as well, slumping bonelessly into his chair.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again a big **thank you** to all of you for your lovely comments and your kudos! They really make my day!  
We are getting closer to the end, there's only one more chapter (Warlock!!!) to come and a short little epilogue.  
But for now, enjoy the fluffy family time

Images had begun to swirl around in Crowley's head when her son touched her temples. "Oh, Adam..." she whispered before she was caught up in the onset of new memories.

* * *

_ "Crowley, would you do us the honour of being Adam's godfather?" Deirdre and Arthur Young asked with beaming eyes when they presented him their newborn for the first time. The demon could do nothing but accept their offer. _

* * *

_ Little Adam waddled towards Crowley "Un-Row! Un-Row!" he babbled and beamed brightly. The Demon knelt hastily down for the boy to fall into his widespread arms. He lifted him up and spun him through the air _

_ "Hey, my little scamp" he smiled and kissed the crown of his head. _

* * *

_ Crowley grinned broadly and pushed the plate towards Adam's highchair. "More?" The boy nodded eagerly, mouth stuffed with chocolate. Disregarding the stimulating effects of sugar in toddlers for a lark, the demon fed him some more. A hyperactive child was right up his alley. The demon snickered, "Your parents will have so much fun later on..." and little Adam nodded, his cheeks and hands covered in chocolate. He beamed at Crowley and gurgled. _

_ "More?" _

* * *

_ Crowley lifted a coil to let Adam rearrange his position. The little boy settled himself in a comfy position on the body of the serpent and pulled his blanket up around him. Crowley hummed, "Which book do you want to hear?" "Hungry caterpilla-haaa-r," Adam yawned and snuggled closer. _

_ The snake nodded and the book appeared in the boy's lap, propped up against black scales. Crowley wrapped himself around his boy like a scarf, supporting his weight and rocking him gently. Adam stroked the side of his triangular head which Crowley rested on his shoulder. _

_ "In the light of the moon, a little egg lay on a leaffff...," h _ _ e started to read, turning the pages with the aid of small miracles to not disturb their comfortable position. _

_ "Then he nibbled a hole in the cocoon, pushed hisss way out and he wasss a beautiful butterfly. The end!" Crowley concluded softly. _

_ His (god)son had fallen asleep and breathed softly. The book was wished away and Crowley nestled his head under the boy's arms to rest under his little hands. Adam sighed in content and the serpent drifted off, too, soaking in the warmth of his child. _

* * *

_ "Hey, look, which grimace is worse? This?" Adam pushed his nose upwards with a finger while pulling down his eyelids and giggled. "Or this one?" The boy moved his hands to his head, stretching little fingers like antlers. He squinted at his nose and stuck out his tongue. "Baaa!" _

_ Crowley yelped and made a playful leap backwards. "Oh my goodness! A monster! Adam, where are you, come and save me!" he called, embarking in Adam's game, evoking even more giggles. _

_ "Nah, it's me, uncle Crowley!" he cackled and took down his hands. _

_ "Oh my Somebody, I thought my end was near," he joked and placed his hand over his heart. "I can make a grimace, too... Wanna see it?" The demon grinned toothily and the boy matched his delight in anticipation. _

_ "Will you do the snake? Will you, will you, will you?" _

_ "Close your eyes..." Crowley requested and Adam followed swiftly. He waved a hand in front of the boy's face, knowing full well that he was peeking. "Three.., " he wiggled his nose, "Two...," he pursed his lips and put on a show, "One...," he rolled his shoulders and "Zero!" He collapsed into a heap of clothes and Adam started laughing. The serpent hissed at him playfully, disentangling itself from a trouser leg. _

* * *

_ Something was tickling Crowley's nose and he turned around, sliding deeper under the blanket. Now, his ear tickled. He slapped a lazy hand in the vague vicinity and hoped to keep on sleeping. He heard the rustling of clothes and then something growled in his ear. _

_ He opened one eye and found himself faced with a furry nose and black button eyes. He groaned. _

_ "Get up and make me breakfast! Or I'll bite your nose!" the teddy bear threatened and was pushed against the demon's face. _

_ "Ngk," Crowley responded eloquently and flailed his arms in front of his face in an overstated act to 'protect' himself. "Please not, Big Breakfast Bear! What do you want? Do I need to hunt you a deer?" He asked from behind his fingers and grinned. He knew it took all of Adam's strength not to start giggling and blow his own disguise when the boy resumed wiggling the stuffed _ _ toy in front of Crowley's eyes. _ _ "Nooo! I want a cup of cocoa and toast, " the teddy demanded. _

_ "Oh Big Breakfast Bear, this is a human-food. It's for my Adam, you sure you don't want a deer?" _

_ The bear was lowered and a mop of blond hair appeared instead. Adam beamed. "Na, uncle Crowley, it's me!!!" he giggled and the demon took in an exasperated breath. _

_ "Oh no, you cheeky scamp!" And he grabbed Adam to tickle him extensively. _

* * *

_ They spent the day at the zoo, chiefly in the reptile house. Crowley showed Adam the snakes and explained differences and similarities of the various species. And - if the snakes were willing to share with him - he _ _ told the one or other story _ _ . _

_ "Don't talk to him, he's a weird one" Crowley mumbled to Adam as he shoved him away from a green snake hanging innocently down a branch. And Adam - a schoolboy with too much imagination - could only wonder what fantastic tale this one would spin... _

_ "Will you go to the petting farm with me? Pepper said the goats and sheep have lambs. I want to see them!" Adam beamed at him but Crowley shook his head. _

_ "Er, no, thanks...Better not... They don't like me in there..." He lowered his sunglasses and winked meaningfully at Adam "Part of my _ constitution _ . But go on, I'll wait for you." Adam scrunched his nose but dashed off after his Godfather promised him an ice lolly when he'd be back. _

* * *

_ "Hush, Adam, nothing to worry... no harm done..." Crowley soothed as he carefully picked up Adam from under the tree. The boy wailed in pain and held his left arm close to his chest "It's gonna be alright... Here, let me see..." Crowley took a glance at his injury and hurried to cover it with his hands. The boy didn't need to see this _ mess _ . He let a soft miracle pour from his fingertips and over Adam's arm, mended bones and knitted skin and flesh together again. The boy leaned his head against Crowley's chest and whimpered. _ "Sleep!" _ the demon ordered and Adam's eyes fell shut, as he was carried inside. _

* * *

_ Crowley grinned and placed a long and thin package in Adam's hands. "Happy birthday, scamp!" _

_ The birthday boy turned it around in his hands "Is this...?" he raised his eyebrows at his uncle and Crowley shrugged. _

_ "Open it up and you'll know it, I guess..." "A sonic screwdriver!" Adam cheered and practically _ jumped _ at Crowley to hug him. "Where did you get one? They have been out of stock for years!" He examined the prop and turned it around in his hands. It was a clearly used and well cared for item. _

_ Crowley shrugged again and touched the roof of his mouth with the tip of his tongue. His face lit up in a delighted expression and mischief sparkled in his eyes, "Oh, it wasn't that hard to take one with me..." He clapped his hands together "So, what about some birthday cake? Allons-y, Adam!" _

* * *

_ The drive from Tadfield to London took no time at all. Adam enjoyed each ride in the Bentley and sang along to Queen at the top of his voice. Crowley smirked and pushed his sunglasses up into his hair, "So, where to, scamp?" _

_ Struck by the band blasting over the radio, Adam grinned mischievously. "Can you get us into Buckingham Palace? I want to play with the Queen's corgis!" _

_ Crowley beamed and let his glasses fall back on his nose, "It's been a while since I paid a visit but that's quite an idea!" _

_ What proceeded to happen that day stayed firmly between Crowley, Adam, and a pack of hyped-up corgis. No one in the palace ever knew that they'd been there. (And who were the corgis to tell that they had an exceedingly exciting day chasing and playing around with two people that were definitely-not-humans-of-the-regular-mortal-sort?) _

* * *

_ Crowley thanked Mr Young and walked over to Adam, waving the newspaper he'd borrowed. He settled down next to the boy and opened the Tadfield Advertiser. Huddling together, they sifted through the pages for the _ _ letter column. _ _ They found it soon enough. A complaint by R.P. Tyler "in regards to the unheard-of audacity of the changed street signs". They cackled. _

_ No one ever could pin the blame on them. In an elaborate and delicate act, they had interchanged the street signs. And it surely wasn't their fault that good old Roger - Tadfield's only postman for the last 23 years - had won in the lottery and quit his job to sail the world. Nobody had gotten any mail for the last two weeks, while the post office struggled to relocate the street signs. And only R.P. Tyler complained about not being able to pay his bills. _

* * *

Later that day, deep into the night, an angel and a demon shared a bottle of wine in the tranquillity of their living room. Adam was already fast asleep in the room Crowley had miracled into existence for him. The poor boy was utterly exhausted by the sheer amount of occult power he'd evoked.

"These things you remember now - they are not real, are they?" Aziraphale had trouble to process the implications if they were. "I mean, Adam didn't change the past for real, did he?" His powers would be beyond measure otherwise...

"Nah, they're not..." Crowley swirled the wine in her glass "I mean they _ feel _ like real memories but I still recall all that happened with Warlock. I remember things that happened between _ us _ ." A soft smile played around her lips. "I think he just made things up... They have the air of a children's book. Like snippets of the _ ideal _ experiences a child should have with his godparent." Crowley leaned back on the sofa and drew one finger along the rim of her glass. "And there is a conspicuous absence of other _ real _ people in there," she continued, "I am sure that _ you'd _ been involved at any point. But you didn't get any new memories. The only other people I remember operating like actual persons and not like stand-ins were -" she stopped, hesitant to carry on.

"Arthur and Deirdre?" Aziraphale suggested in a tender voice. "Or, _ his human parents _?"

Crowley nodded, grateful for the help. "- his _ human _ parents." She tasted the sound of that on her tongue and nodded to herself before she continued. "So I assume, they got these memories too."

Aziraphale hummed and nodded "Probably to explain your presence in his life"

"I mean, he might have changed the past back _ then _ -" she emphasised and Aziraphale knew exactly _ when _ she meant "-but he's not powerful enough these days. He rejected Satan and thus his power is decreasing. This was probably his last hat trick. He is painfully human now, with all its implications..." she took a sip from her wine. For a while, silence sat heavily between them. What was the - even magically enhanced - lifespan of a human compared with their potential eternity?

"Not to mention, he thinks I have a secret identity as an actor... This kind of blows his illusion," she rolled her eyes dramatically and resumed their conversation as if there hadn't been a pause.

"Oh? I've always wondered... So you are _ not _ the Dr. Who?" Aziraphale asked tentatively, aiming for friendly teasing to go with Crowley's act of nonchalance.

"Oh angel, for Someone's sake! It's not _ 'the Dr. Who' _ -," she mimicked and made finger marks "-it's the Doctor. And what do you mean, _ you always wondered _. You can't be serious, this guy looks nothing like me!"

Aziraphale shrugged apologetically and hid his smile behind his wine glass. "I assumed you were not. I couldn't imagine you fitting an acting career into your already tight schedule..."

Crowley sighed excessively and started to list each and every minuscule detail of her male corporation that differed from David Tennant.

Aziraphale nodded dutifully when he was expected to, but overall enjoyed the eased lines on her face and the way her shoulders had _ finally _ begun to loosen up. Maybe they could be happy for now.

* * *

Now that Adam had instituted Crowley as his godparent, it was no problem for them to prolong his stay in London.

Crowley had kept her female corporation since she changed and with Adam and her angel constantly around, she started to feel comfortable again in her former body. If Aziraphale registered she'd even made an Effort, he didn't comment on it.

One morning after breakfast, Crowley held her hand out to Adam and the boy looked up from the book he was pouring over (obviously a gift from Aziraphale).

"The weather is perfect, come with me, I want to show you something..."

"What is it?" he asked curiously while standing up. But Crowley only smiled secretively. "Bring Dog with you, he might enjoy this trip, too..."

As they passed Aziraphale, he winked at Adam. "Have fun," he smiled, equally mysterious as Crowley. "Remember to bring some apples home, will you, dearest?"

After a drive at breakneck speed - which Adam enjoyed immensely and Crowley made save with some miracles - they arrived at the flat. Adam eyed the tall building up and down.

"Is this where you live?" he asked, remembering his last involuntary visit to Crowley's home.

"Na, not anymore," she dismissed, "It's more of an office now..." And after a short pause, she admitted, "Most of the time I stay in Soho."

Adam grinned, "Yes, so I've seen."

"Don't be cheeky to me!" she scolded and poked his cheek, but replied to his grin with one of her own.

As soon as they crossed the threshold, she discarded her glasses on a nearby cupboard. No need to hide from her son. They made their way through her flat, and Adam noted how it was less dark now, less intimidating and repressing. It still emitted the air of a long-cultivated loneliness but he sensed some sort of comfort in it. Adam whistled appreciatively as they passed her plants and Crowley raised an eyebrow at them.

"Don't praise them, they'll think they're allowed to slack off..." She inspected a leaf nearby and tsked disapprovingly. She moved on and Adam hesitated.

"Did your plant _ shiver _?" he scrunched his nose and looked closer, while Dog sniffed curiously at a leaf.

"They better should!" Crowley answered from further into the flat and Adam hurried behind.

Catching sight of a figure, Adam turned and saw a statue causing him to ponder over it in silence. 

"They're wrestling...," she mumbled and shoved him on.

In the next room, Adam marvelled openly at her throne. 

"Do you want to take a seat?" she offered and Adam beamed at her, hopping on the cushion.

"Will you take a selfie with me?" he asked.

"I invented them, you know?" Crowley bragged, as she miracled them golden crowns and put them on their heads.

Adam laughed "No, you did not!"

"Sure I did! It's pride and envy in their purest forms!"

When they had the _ perfect _ photo, Adam set it as Crowley's contact picture and sent a copy to her phone (and of course she set it up as her wallpaper when she thought Adam wasn't looking)

Crowley led the boy up the staircase onto the roof and winked when she opened the heavy door for him. Rays of sunshine greeted them warm on their skin and Adam needed to lift a hand to protect his eyes from the sudden brightness. After his eyes adjusted, he looked around. "Wow!" 

They stood in the confines of a lush garden. Big flat stones were positioned in sunny places, apple trees providing shady spots over chairs and a little table and the green grass was occasionally interrupted by little and big bushes alike in full bloom. Bright flowers in all varieties spread in groups and tried to out-bloom their neighbours. This shouldn't be possible on a roof in the midst of London.

"Wow!" Adam repeated and his mother grinned as Dog darted out between their feet and started running around the trees, sniffing here and there.

"Welcome to my Garden, Adam!" she waved a hand with a proud look on her face. "Take a look around. If you need a drink, there's lemonade," she pointed at the table which had been empty just moments ago but held now a jug of lemonade and a pair glasses. "There's a little pond over there if Dog needs a sip of water. I'll just need a moment to water the plants and then pick Aziraphale some apples."

Adam and Dog explored the garden while Crowley was watering before the boy decided to help her with the apples. He climbed up the trees and threw the fruits in the basket Crowley had miracled up for them. Once finished, they made their way over to the table and Adam emptied his glass.

"Now that we're finished, I want to show you why we came here in the first place..." Crowley smiled almost shy at her son. "I know, you have used the presumably last bits of your Power to include me in your earthly family-" she held up a hand to keep him from interrupting "-but I think, you have one more trick up your sleeve. I want to teach you something that you have inherited _ solely _ from me..." Adam sat up straight. "Solely from you...?" 

Dog, sensing his master's anticipation, lifted his chin and sniffed the air, ears turned towards Crowley. She moved and slid to the ground, making herself comfortable on one of the sun-heated stones.

"Sit down, please." He followed her example and crossed his legs. "You know who I am?"

"My mother," Adam answered without hesitation. She regarded him with a soft smile and took his hand. 

"Yes, Adam, of course. But before that... I told you, what my very first assignment back in Eden was, right?" She waited for him to catch up.

"You tempted Eve-" she nodded encouragingly, "- gave her an apple." She nodded again. "I think that's why you have all these trees up here." He waved his hand around them.

"Yes, but that's not the point right now. Think. _ Who _ am I?"

"The Creator of Original Sin...?"

"Aaand?"

"The Serpent of Eden?"

"That'sss right!" Crowley hissed and waited for the penny to drop. It dropped. Adam's eyes went wide.

"You're kidding me, right? You're trying to wind me up, aren't you?" She flicked a slitted tongue at him. "You're saying, I can turn into a snake?" The boy almost bounced, "You'll really show me how to turn into a snake?" Dog reflected his excitement and started to run circles around them, barking loudly.

"Yes, I'll show you." 

The boy jumped at her and tackled her so hard, they ended up lying on the ground, giggling madly. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" He beamed and if his happiness wasn't enough for Crowley, nothing ever would be. 

"You have it in you. The very first time I saw you, you were so much like me, it hurt... You don't remember but I begged you to change, to hide your true self from Satan. And you did. I am grateful you did... But now, I can finally guide you back, if that's... well... if you really want to."

Adam stared at her as if she'd suggested to eat Dog. "Of course I do! There's nothing better than becoming a snake!" She smiled at him and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

"What do you need me to do?"

"It is hard to explain... It's easier to show. Look!" 

She changed slowly, pointing out what she was doing, what she concentrated on and compared the distinctions between the human form and the serpent one.

Adam nodded eagerly, biting his lip and staring at her unblinkingly, so he wouldn't miss a second of the transformation he was about to perform himself. The demon switched back and forth until she was certain her son had caught up on the physical differences he had to overcome. She remained human-shaped and locked their eyes.

"Are you ready? Do you want to try?" He nodded. "OK, then... close your eyes and lay down, make yourself as long and thin as possible," she guided, "arms close to your torso... yes... legs together... good!"

"Think of scales forming at the back of your neck... yeah, that's it, Adam! Let them spread down your back." She watched as black scales sprouted on her boy's skin and vanished under the hem of his shirt.

"Let them wander around your belly, up your-"

Dog barked at a bird that'd landed in the trees above and Adam jerked up, his concentration broken. The scales vanished again and Adam sighed. "This is hard!"

"You did really good, scamp. Did you feel the changes in your skin?" He nodded. "That is the beginning. Believe me, you'll get the hang of it in no time at all!"

They practised the transformation from skin to scales and Adam managed to get rid of hair, nails and all skin that a snake had no use for. But his form remained human. The boy sat up and turned his arm around. On the back of his hand shimmered black scales, in his palm, they were a dark red. "I share your colours..." he assessed and Crowley nodded, a tender smile gracing her face.

"As I said, you inherited it purely from me." She stood up and reached out to him, "Come on, let's take a break. Are you hungry?"

They sat down at the table and Crowley miracled up a pot of spaghetti Bolognese. Adam dug in hungrily and spoke with his mouth full. "I don't understand how to get rid of my arms and legs," he wondered and his mother nodded.

"You have to merge your arms with your upper body. Think _ looong _ and _ slimmm _ thoughts," she drew out the words and Adam laughed.

"Or we can make a more _ hands-on _ approach..." she suggested and Adam looked up. 

"How?" 

"Hmm... I..." she hesitated a moment, "If you feel comfortable with it, I could help you by tracing along the form of your soul..." Crowley folded her hands on the table. Adam gave it a thought, remembering what he'd learned about souls. 

"Does it hurt? Like it hurt you when _ He _ touched your soul?" Adam whispered and she shook her head, looking up again.

"No, I would never suggest something that would hurt you, my Adam!" she promised with a stern look on her face, "It'd be more of a nudge in the right direction." And so, the boy nodded, trusting her.

When they tried again, Crowley pressed her lips tight and waited for Adam to settle down. She'd never taken even a glimpse at Adam's soul, not since his birth. She laid her hands on his back and breathed in. "Ready?" she asked, not knowing for sure if she asked Adam or herself.

"Ready!" Adam nodded and his trust broke her reluctance.

Crowley closed her eyes and reached deeper, put out her metaphorical fingers and brushed against Adam's core. The boy giggled, "It's tickling!" She hummed and adjusted the pressure. 

"Sorry..." She dared to _ look _ at him. His Soul was not like hers anymore. And she felt that it was a good thing. The part that had been so forcefully removed from her had grown. The frayed edges that once mirrored her own injury were healed. And what had grown on top was delightfully human. She felt the incredible Love Arthur, Deirdre and all the other humans around her son had wrapped him in for all these years. Her boy was so overwhelmingly _ loved _, it made her involuntarily weep. 

"Crowley?" Adam asked concerned, picking up on her bittersweet pain and she caught herself from drowning in _ Love _. 

"It's all right, I'm here," she whispered, "May I proceed?" 

Adam consented and she touched him anew with a distinct pressure. "Oooh!" he commented, "That's warm and- and-, " 

Crowley smiled. "Yes, my boy..." She felt the love between them resonating under her fingers. Neither of them wanted to say it aloud, Adam because he was on the edge of puberty and Crowley was a demon after all.

"Visualise yourself long and sleek. Imagine yourself slithering over warm earth. Do you feel the warmth on your belly? Dart out your tongue to tassste the air. Can you sssmell it?" The demon had started to hiss without realising. "You don't need armsss or legsss... they are only impeding your progressss. You're fassster without them." Her own tongue darted out involuntarily and she gave Adam a little push. He followed her direction swiftly.

"Thisss isss it... You're fassst and ssstealth~ssy. No one can sssee you..." she hissed and removed her hands when she felt Adam change. Crowley let go of her human form and fell into a heap of coils too. She slithered around the smaller snake, taking in his change. 

"I made it!" Adam hissed in delight and if a snake could grin, he managed to do so. 

"Yesss, you did, my boy!" she praised and leaned her snout against his, "Easy now, no need to hurry... Get accustomed to your new body."

Adam tried lifting his coils "Heavvvy..." he mumbled and the giant serpent in front of him nodded.

"You'll get usssed to it! Try to move around a bit," she suggested, slithered a few feet forward, then stopped. "Look, like thisss!" And he followed.

Crowley taught him how to move, how to taste the air, and how to change on his own accord. Finally, he perched himself on one of the warm stones in the sun.

"Thisss isss tiring..." the smaller snake hissed and coiled in on himself on the stone.

"Ressst, Adam." She circled him and laid down too.

They napped until the sun started to go down. Crowley changed back and reached out to her son. "Do you need a helping hand?" He slithered up her arm and hung around her shoulders. Lifting his head, he whispered in her ear.

"Sssank you-" and, after a beat, "mom."

The demon stiffened, "Oh my Adam!" She whispered back and cradled his scaly head to her cheek. Turning, she pressed a kiss to the top of his head. "My sweet, sweet Adam..."


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The wonderful [lonicera-caprifolium](https://lonicera-caprifolium.tumblr.com) made an awesome commission for me. You really should check out their tumblr!  
You'll find the picture below!

* * *

A few nights in, Aziraphale stayed late in his shop. He claimed a need to dust and rearrange his books but eventually stopped to read, while Crowley had been fallen asleep on the sofa in the backroom.

It was far after midnight when a soft noise from the door drew the angels attention. Somebody had tried to open the door.

"We're closed!" Aziraphale called, though he was sure this was no costumer. Not by this ungodly hour. The angel moved closer to the door when he heard the unmistakable sound of a key being slid into the lock. A smile spread over his lips. Besides him and Crowley, only one person had earned enough of their trust to be granted a key.

"Warlock, my dear! Welcome!" He greeted, as the boy entered. "Oh my, what happened?"

"Hello Francis..." the boy who-was-definitely-not-the-Antichrist mumbled. He'd clearly been crying and avoided the angel's gaze by  angrily wiping over his eyes. "Is-," he gulped around a lump in his throat, "-is dad around?"

"Of course my dear," Aziraphale answered and helped him shrug off his jacket to put it away. "Your mother is in the backroom. You'll eventually have to wake her up. But she's going to be so enthralled to see you!"

"Well, she's probably the only one to be so..." the boy muttered, unbothered by the switch of pronouns.

Aziraphale clicked his tongue. " _ I _ am  _ also _ delighted to see you!" He emphasised and Warlock managed a weak smile, "I'm sorry, Francis. I know...It's-"

"Warlock?" The sleepy redhead appearing in the doorway sauntered over to them, becoming more awake with each step she took. Aziraphale smiled to himself,  _ of course, _ Crowley had woken up to the presence of her son. 

Warlock darted forward and practically threw himself in her arms. She wrapped slender arms around him and pulled him near. "Hey there..." she breathed and stroke her hands up and down in a soothing gesture.

And something inside of Warlock broke free. He started sobbing into her dark blouse, fingers clutching almost painfully in her upper arms. For Aziraphale, the muffled words splurting from the boy's lips were unintelligible but Crowley nodded and hummed, though not understanding, but listening and comforting nevertheless.

The angel made his way up the stairs into the magically enlarged flat to put on the kettle and to prepare tea. The poor boy looked like he could need a cup.

After his outburst, Warlock deflated visibly. Crowley led him to the couch where she'd been sleeping just moments ago and gently pulled him down next to her.

Aziraphale came back and set the little tray in front of them, to pour three cups of tea. Gracing the angel with a grateful nod, Crowley pressed a mug into Warlock's hands. The boy stared at it and clamped his fingers around the porcelain. He held his head low and tucked his feet firmly under his body. His mother next to him sprawled on the couch and tried to radiate a calming air. She laid the palm of her hand on Warlock's back and drew soothing little circles with her fingertips.  _ We're ready when you are, _ she seemed to say with her eyes and he nodded. Sip by sip emptying his tea, her son remained silent, so Crowley snapped her fingers. The angel's ancient Gramophone sprung to life and an unintrusive melody waved through the air, saving Warlock from the urge to break the silence before he was ready.

"They want me to leave..." he mumbled so quietly, it was almost blocked by the mug in front of his mouth.

"Where to-?" Aziraphale asked at the same time Crowley stated firmly: "No." The angel shut his mouth and let his partner proceed.

"Wherever they want to send you, I won't let it happen. You stay!"

Aziraphale was impressed by the progress Crowley had made over the course of the last days. They had discussed Warlock's family backgrounds many times since the world didn't end. And though Aziraphale knew Crowley held the boy near to his heart, the demon never wanted to undertake another step to take him in for good.  _ Then _ Aziraphale wondered about her hesitation and asked himself if he'd misinterpreted her affection.  _ Now _ , however, he knew it had nothing to do with Warlock, but with how utterly broken and devastated she herself had been. 

"Wherever they want you to go, I  _ won't _ let it happen," Crowley repeated with conviction. A tentatively hopeful smile spread behind Warlock's mug.

"Thaddeus says we have to move to America.  _ For political reasons _ , as he puts it. They want me to go to some obscure military school. He thinks-" Warlock gulped around the words he didn't want to say, "-that I am no  _ proper American _ . He considers the British too soft and -"

"This, my dear, is some  _ proper bullshit, _ " Aziraphale interrupted and Warlock managed a grin at his sudden outburst. "You are a wonderful young boy and don't let anybody tell you otherwise!"

Crowley glanced at her angel and the amount of love contained in this brief look was enough to make Warlock blush. She moved to kneel on the floor, sitting face to face with her boy. "Warlock, some things changed in the past few days. Things that I need to talk through with you. And I promise I will. But not today, ok? I can offer you this: I'll convince Harriet to let you stay-" Warlock wanted to interrupt but she held up a hand, "-I'm quite good with words, as you know. And if that's not enough, I have some spare miracles at my disposal." She waited until Warlock nodded as he understood that she was not willing to gamble with his wellbeing. "You know we-," she gestured between herself and Aziraphale who laid a hand on her shoulder, "-don't live normal human lives. I want you to stay in school, keep your life going the way it is.  _ But _ I want you to come home to me."

"To come home to  _ us _ ," Aziraphale added, "Your room is always ready for you!"

Warlock stayed silent, staring in golden eyes as if searching for something. "You won't send me away?" Crowley shook her head. "And I'm allowed to come back from school on holidays? Or when I'm sick?" Both entities nodded and Warlock slung his arms around Crowley's shoulders. He hid his face in the crook of her neck the way he'd done as a little boy. She patiently waited for him to sort through his emotions and for his tears to stop.

When he'd calmed down, Crowley picked herself up from the floor and strengthened her back. Smoothing out her clothes and taking back her hair, they could see her change subtly in front of their very eyes.

"Nanny?"

"Yes, ducky,  _ I _ am going to make the call,"  the demon answered with a sudden accent the boy hadn't heard in a while. 

"Thank you, mum," h e smiled at her and she nodded, before picking up her phone and leaving the room.

A relieved giggle erupted from Warlock. He suddenly felt giddy with relief and leaned towards Aziraphale. 

"So, ' _ bullshit' _ ? I wasn't aware you know how to curse, Francis," he whispered, while Nanny Ashtoreth began speaking on the phone and paced around the bookshop.

"I am perfectly capable to use foul language," the angel answered almost offended, "but I've reserved it for special occasions. You can't go through six millennia with  _ her _ -" he nodded towards the shop where they could hear Nanny's muffled talk, "-without the occasional need to curse. And it seems, some habits rub off..."

Nanny came back, her lips pressed together and her brows furrowed. "They had not even realised that you were gone..." She glared at her phone as if to curse Harriet Dowling through it by sheer will (and if - on  _ absolutely _ unrelated reasons - on the other side of London a certain diplomat's wife hurriedly threw away her phone because it suddenly lit up in flames, it obviously wasn't the demon's fault). Nanny was angry at these humans. She'd assumed that a miracle would be needed to convince them to leave their son behind but it was a mere temptation. They gave him away all too readily. At least she was now responsible for him once again.

The demon flopped down on the sofa and all stiffness of Nanny Ashtoreth left her body.

"You did nothing dangerous, to get here, did you? No hitchhiking with strangers in the middle of the night?" Crowley raised an eyebrow at Warlock, lips curling in a disapproving way. The boy shook his head and grinned in a way, that reminded Aziraphale in a most unsettling way of a certain demon. "Na," the boy denied, "I lied my way very politely into a cab and the man drove me here." He pulled at the small chain around his neck and showed the pendant, "And this little guy is always with me, so you'd be the first to get notified if something was happening..."

Crowley ruffled his hair, a blend of love and pride shining in her unveiled eyes. "That's my boy... Here, let me renew the spell," she tapped the little snake with a finger and it wiggled around, slithering into her palm. She covered it in her hands and breathed over it. The demon whispered an incantation before she brought her hands up to Aziraphale's face. The angel copied her work and she slid the small snake back to Warlock who let it play around his fingers. "Thank you. I mean- not only for this-" he held up the snake, "-but also for letting me stay..."

"Warlock, you really don't have to. I-" Aziraphale nudged her in the ribs, "er,  _ we _ were thinking for quite some time about finding a more permanent solution of having you around..."

"You did?" he wondered, "You could have asked and I would have stayed." Warlock furrowed his brows and stuck out his chin.

"Oh, ducky... We-" she glanced at Aziraphale and he cut in.

"First, we were afraid of Heaven and Hell. We feared they might use you as leverage against us. If they were going to join forces and make a move, we have nothing to oppose them. We wanted to protect you. And then, later on, when we learned they feared  _ us _ more than we did  _ them _ , we couldn't be sure if you really wanted it..." 

"We were afraid," Crowley admitted and Warlock nodded.

"I was afraid to ask, too..." He shrugged, "The apple never falls far from the tree, hm?"

Crowley stared at him with big eyes, then laughed and after a moment, she was joined by the others, too.

They kept talking for the better part of the night and planned Warlock's move into their custody. When the boy's head fell against Crowley's shoulder, she decided to delay further planning on the following day. She shook him gently, "Let's go to bed, yes?". Warlock nodded and picked himself up from the sofa. He yawned and allowed Crowley to steer him up the stairs.

"That door's new," he mumbled sleepily and pointed at the door to Adam's room. 

"Yeah, we have another visitor, too. You'll meet him in the morning," Crowley promised, not wanting to overstrain the tired boy, "and then I have to tell you something!"

* * *

The next morning, Warlock knocked at Crowley's and Francis' bedroom door. "Mum? Are you awake?" He could hear shuffling from the kitchen, so at least  _ somebody _ was awake. 

"Warlock my dear, please wake her up, will you?" Ah, Francis. Probably with their mysterious visitor.

"I'll try my best, Francis!" He called back and knocked again. "Mum!" He opened the door and stepped into the dark room.

In the middle of the  _ too-big-to-fit-properly-into-the-reasonably-available-space _ room stood a bed with red linings and black sheets. He could make out the shock of red hair peeking out from under a soft duvet and stepped closer.  _ Ah! Not a duvet, then. _ What he'd mistaken for a fluffy sheet turned out to be delicately aligned wings with black feathers, that covered his mother's back and reached down all the way to her feet. Her legs were hidden under an actual sheet as well.

Of course, he'd seen her wings before but only seldom and the sight amazed him without cease. Warlock sat down on the edge of the bed, making sure not to sit on her. "Mum, wake up!" He started softly and laid a hand gingerly on the top of her feathers. She stirred and a little shiver went through her body but otherwise, she did not react. "Mu~ummm!" Warlock repeated and Crowley stretched her wings, before pulling them in again to huddle under the midnight feathers. Her movement forced Warlock to stand up again.

"MUM!" He said sternly, "Francis wants you to get up!"

She mumbled something incomprehensible before she declared, "Can't you let an old demon sleep? In former times no one would have dared to wake me up..."

Warlock shrugged unimpressed, " _ In former times _ you did not promise me answers in the morning!"

"You are a menace, you know?" Crowley yawned and pushed herself up. And Warlock only now saw that she was naked.

"Mum! Get dressed!" he grumbled and hid his face behind his hands.

Yes, she was his mother but he was also a boy about to hit puberty and so he turned around, blushing furiously with the shame of seeing a naked body.

"Oh, ducky..." She chuckled and he heard the rustling of sheets, before bare feet touched the ground. "I remember a time not so long ago when  _ you _ refused to wear any shirts or trousers and insisted on showing off your little-"

"I was a toddler, will you  _ please _ stop it now? It's been a very long time ago" he cut her off, cheeks still tainted pink and the demon laughed.

"Not for me, no." She moved past him, miraculously clad in her usual black garments, wings tucked away into another sphere. Stretching her arms, Crowley yawned heartily and put a hand on his back. "Let's go."

When they entered the kitchen, Francis and a blond boy lifted their heads. The boy grinned and jumped from his chair to greet them.

"Oh, you must be Warlock!"

"Yeah..." he wrinkled his nose, "and who are you?"

"Kind of your brother, I think," Adam grinned and offered his hand. "I am Adam."

Warlock took his hand. "Adam? As in  _ Adam-the-Antichrist _ ?" He asked and glanced at Crowley, who made a pained grimace. Turning back, he shrugged, "Okay, I guess...why not?" He was used to strange things happening around him and his mum. After the events in Megiddo, he'd gotten an explanation from his mum and Francis and learned about the Antichrist and how the world had almost ended.  _ Apparently, _ they had  _ skipped _ some minor details. But, he assumed, there could be worse things than being in a family with a demon, an angel and the Antichrist. He'd learned to roll with strange occurrences a long time ago. So now, he had a brother to get acquainted with.

"I'm too tired to cope with both of you right now. Will you please refrain from causing me any trouble until I've finished my coffee? Warlock, I promise to explain later, yes?" Crowley slumped in the chair next to Aziraphale and a cup of coffee appeared miraculously in front of her. "Thank you, angel," she smiled and got an equally loving smile in return.

_ Yes, _ she thought, as the boys started to get to know each other and Aziraphale slid his hand in hers,  _ this could be my new life. Our side.  _

A warm feeling resonated inside of her, filled her up and replenished unobtrusively a bit of the tear inside. Neither of them knew it by then but each boy - human and quite-human - as well as Aziraphale bestowed little pieces of themselves on Crowley. And gifted freely in love and not taken forcefully in selfishness, it was the way for Crowley's Soul to heal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, that's it!  
This story is finished and I will tag it as such. **But** I may come back to add some things that are currently rumbling through my head. Little ficlets that didn't make it into the final story. The first of those will be the epilogue I'm uploading right away. So, you can either decide to keep this as the final chapter or go on for a more bittersweet ending.  
Thank you for tagging along on the ride! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did! I would be delighted to see if you maybe have a favourite scene or an idea that stuck. Or maybe I managed to surprise you? Feel free to leave a comment (however short, I enjoy them all!) or come and talk to me on [my Tumblr](http://natsue-yotsuki.tumblr.com) or [my LiveJournal](https://natsue-yotsuki.livejournal.com)! Thank you for reading my little self-indulgent fic!


	8. Epilogue

Years passed and became decades. Children grew and became adults. Adults became parents. Parents became seniors. And seniors became memories. They buried and mourned them and made sure for each and every one, that they were content in their respective little slices of Heaven.

Aziraphale and Crowley watched and cared for the changing generations around them. Their little family grew and they stayed in the centre of it.

It was then, when Aziraphale noticed _it_. In the corner of Crowley's eyes, something was hiding.

He saw _it_ briefly when Warlock's great-granddaughter announced her pregnancy. When Crowley gently bounced the twins of Adam's great-great-grandson on her knees, Aziraphale saw _it_ again, not so hidden anymore. _It_ was obvious when he cradled Warlock's newly born great-great-grandson gently in his arms as the both of them were about to bless the infant.

The angel began to read. He worked through tome after tome on the few nights they didn't spent with their family. He summoned books so old, their ink had almost faded with time. And each of them proved to be useless.

About to surrender, Aziraphale paid his old bookshop a visit. He removed a rug, lit some candles and fell to his knees.

* * *

Aziraphale slid in bed next to Crowley and started to stroke through red hair. The demon hummed and snuggled closer.

Aziraphale leaned in, whispering in his love's ear "I found the spell that helped to Create Adam..." Crowley stiffened and turned around. Before he could argue, the angel put a finger against his lips.

"I've seen the look on your face whenever you are around the kids. I've seen your yearning..."

"Angel, no-"

"Look me in the eyes and tell me, you don't want a child of your own and I will drop it immediately..." Crowley closed his eyes and tilted his head to lay against his angel's chest.

"It's too dangerous, angel. _They_ are still holding a grudge against us. What if they use the child to get to us?" Aziraphale nodded, so he'd been right and Crowley had thought about it, too.

"And what if they were human? I can't carry another one of my children to their grave..." the demon whispered in a hoarse tone, voice about to break.

"I know my dear," he answered and pulled him into a close embrace. "But - please don't get angry... But, I've asked..."

"You did what? We agreed to stay clear from them! Whom did you talk to? Who gave you the spell?" Crowley pushed himself up to sit across from Aziraphale. "You can't tell them about our family, angel, if they-"

"Will you please stop for a moment and listen to me?" The angel interrupted gently. Crowley pressed his lips in a tight line and nodded stiffly. "I asked the highest authority there is...," he pointed up awkwardly. "And _She_ will grant us a child. God herself answered my prayer and promised She would give them a soul and Her blessing... Neither Heaven nor Hell could make a claim on them."

Silence hung heavy around both of them and Aziraphale did not dare to meet Crowley's eyes. When he _did_ look up again, tears had begun to fall from Crowley's eyes. He reached out to take the demon's hands in his own, blowing a gentle kiss upon them.

"Anthony J Crowley, Serpent of Eden and Guardian of Earth, will you do me the honour of bearing my child?"

* * *

A year later, Earth was blessed by the birth of an angel: Natanya,_ a gift from God_.

**Author's Note:**

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**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [How To Be An Emotional Support Snek (TM)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22025986) by [RangerHorseTug](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RangerHorseTug/pseuds/RangerHorseTug)


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